Creating opioid dependence in the emergency department

Abstract

Clinical question What is the risk of creating opioid dependence from an ED opioid prescription? Article chosen Barnett ML, Olenski AR, Jena AB. Opioid-prescribing patterns of emergency physicians and risk of long-term use. N Engl J Med 2017;376:663-73, doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1610524. Objective This study examined the risk of creating long-term opioid dependence from a prescription written in an opioid-naive patient in the ED.