New Recommendations: Opioid Overdose Prevention and Pain Management

Update From the Office on Women's Health

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office on Women’s Health is committed to sharing resources to help health professionals combat the opioid epidemic. HHS recently released recommendations to expand prescribing guidelines for naloxone in high-risk patients and announced the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force recommendations to improve clinical practice around pain management. You can find more information in the announcements below. HHS recommends prescribing or co-prescribing naloxone to patients at high risk for an opioid overdose Adm. Brett P. Giroir, M.D., assistant secretary for health and senior advisor for opioid policy, has released new guidance for health professionals and patients detailing how naloxone — the opioid overdose reversal drug — can help save lives. It should be prescribed to all patients at risk for opioid complications, including overdose. The guidance (PDF) reinforces and expands upon prior CDC guidelines to reduce the risk of overdose deaths. Learn More Call for public comment: Task Force recommends patient-centered approach to pain management On December 28, 2018, the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force issued a draft report calling for individualized, patient-centered pain management to improve the lives of individuals who experience acute and chronic pain. The draft report includes proposed recommendations in several areas, such as clinical best practices/guidelines, approaches to acute and chronic care management, and pain treatment. The complete list of proposed recommendations is available for review and public commentfor a 90-day period. Read the Report