BETHESDA, MD. – Guideline-based strategies for opioid risk reduction have not been widely accepted by primary care physicians, according to Dr. Erin E. Krebs, speaking in an interview at an National Institutes of Health–sponsored pathways to prevention panel.
There are few if any data to support the effectiveness of opioid agreements, for example. Other strategies such as checking online prescription drug monitoring programs are time consuming and require use of a working computer, which may not always be present in a primary care office, said Dr. Krebs, who is medical director of the Women Veterans Comprehensive Health Center of the Minneapolis Veterans Administration. But these are crucial things to do. Patients are well aware that opioids have risks and don’t want to be harmed by them, according to Dr. Krebs. Any kind of monitoring has to be couched in terms of safety rather than mistrust, she said.
To watch her discuss the realities of trying to reduce opioid risk in a primary care world, watch her interview with senior reporter Elizabeth Mechcatie.