Episode 31: Misinterpretations of the 2016 Opioid Guidelines

2016 was a watershed year in the United States in the attempt to reverse the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths and addiction. Perhaps no event crystallized this intention more than a set of guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offering evidence-based prescriptions for responsible opioid prescription. This influential document did have the net effect of reducing opioid prescriptions for pain, but also had unintended effects in the process. 

Dr. Roger Chou is here to discuss the intended and unintended effects three years out. Dr. Chou is a unique authority in the pain medicine field because of his influential scientific publications and, more uniquely, his participation as a member of the CDC consensus panel that created the 2016 guidelines. He is a recent co-author of a New England Journal of Medicine editorial that discusses his reservations about how the guidelines have been misunderstood and misapplied.