Editor’s note: The following article first appeared in the April 2016 edition of PSQH, and was written by members of the National Patient Safety Foundation including Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, chief operating officer and senior vice president of programs, Caitlin Y. Lorincz, MS, MA, senior program director, and Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, president and CEO.
The availability of, and access to effective and safe treatments for pain remain serious problems in the United States (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Opioid medications are important for addressing short-term and chronic pain management. Given the benefits that they provide, usage of opioids has become widespread over the past decade. However, opioid medications also carry substantial risk, and their increased usage has introduced a host of unintended consequences across the care continuum. Given this, opioids have significant implications for patient safety. The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) conducted a convenience flash poll survey to obtain a snapshot of opioid-related patient safety concerns, learning needs, and familiarity with existing seminal publications among healthcare professionals.