Study: Adherence to Opioid Abuse Prevention Guidelines still low

Doctors at a teaching hospital in Boston followed guidelines meant to guard against opioid abuse only about half the time, a recent study in the journal Pain Management found. The study, which examined 1,285 patients on a regiment involving the long-term use of opioid painkillers, found that 42.9% of the patients had signed a treatment agreement. Rates for urine drug testing were better, with 62.8% having had a test in the past year. Both measures, however, are widely-accepted guidelines from the American Pain Society. “It should be 100% (adherence),” said Laila Khalid, the stud...