PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

Barriers to prescribing opioids

Quick View. June 16, 2008.

Seven in 10 doctors agree that chronic noncancer pain is undertreated in the U.S.

Nearly half of 150 practicing primary care physicians surveyed said they used nonclinical considerations to determine whether to prescribe opioids to treat such pain. In a recent study by the American Pain Foundation, the doctors ranked regulatory and law enforcement scrutiny as the biggest barriers. Physicians were asked to rank the most significant impediments to safe and effective long-term opioid use in chronic noncancer pain patients on a scale of 1 (not an obstacle) to 4 (a great obstacle).

This information and the accompanying full-text visual aids were drawn from the following source:

"Opioid Utilization Study," American Pain Foundation, research conducted Oct. 4-24, 2007.

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