Issue brief: Nation’s drug-related overdose and death epidemic continues to worsen

This issue brief provides a one-page overview of the epidemic and select AMA advocacy initiatives and resources.

Opioid Use Disorder: Medical Treatment Options

Many patients with opioid use disorder are treated in primary care, where effective addiction treatment can be provided. Family physicians are ideally positioned to diagnose opioid use disorder, provide evidence-based treatment with buprenorphine or naltrexone, refer patients for methadone as appropriate, and lead the response to the current opioid crisis. Am Fam Physician. 2019 Oct 1;100(7):416-425.

Promote Safe Storage and Disposal of Opioids and all Medications

Help Save Lives: Co-Prescribe Naloxone to Patients at Risk of Overdose

Thinking of Prescribing an Opioid? Did You Check Your State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program?

Medicine Abuse Project

The AAP is a partner in this campaign, which was launched in 2012 by The Partnership at Drugfree.org. The Medicine Abuse Project aims to curb the abuse of medicine. The Web site houses a suite of comprehensive resources tailored to parents, health professionals, educators, and community leaders, to help them learn about and address the problem.

State and National Fact Sheets

Access state-by-state and national fact sheets that examine the intersection of the opioid epidemic, child welfare systems, and child health. These fact sheets also offer policy solutions that can support vulnerable children and families at both the state and federal level.

ASAM National Practice Guideline for the Use of Medications in the Treatment of Addiction Involving Opioid Use

ASAM developed the National Practice Guideline to provide information on evidence-based treatment of opioid use disorder, and is the first to address all of the FDA-approved medications available to treat addiction involving opioid use and opioid overdose in a single document

The Nation’s Opioid Epidemic — Continued Advocacy Needed to Turn the Tide

Webinar Series: Pediatric Opioid Issues and Prevention Techniques

Research-Based Clinical Strategies to Prevent and Address Adolescent Substance Use and Prescription Medication Misuse

The AAP was part of a coalition of medical professional organizations that developed this free online course. It is offered through two 30-minute sections and encourages prevention strategies for adolescents reporting no substance use and offers guidance for how to address substance use at all levels—from mild, to moderate, to severe. It also discusses safe prescribing practices and evidence-based treatments for teens with a substance use disorder. Brief clinician videos provide insights and tips to incorporate into practice.

AMA Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force

The AMA Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force urges physicians and other health care professions to continue taking action to help reverse the nation’s drug overdose epidemic—and the Task Force also calls on policymakers to take specific steps to remove barriers to evidence-based care for patients with pain and those with a substance use disorder.

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