Patient Safety Weekly Must Reads (April 22, 2017)

This week in #patientsafety, PPAHS offered a response to a question about whether a patient is right to be worried about receiving opioids after surgery. From around the web, a study in JAMA Surgery on when long-term opioid use starts, a doctor offers advice on how to have difficult conversations about opioids, and a look at the leading role played by nurses in patient safety.

From PPAHS:

Opioid Safety After Surgery. “I’m going to have surgery soon and I have been told I will be given an opioid medication to control the pain after the operation. But I see stories of people getting hooked on opioids all over the news, and I’m scared to take them. Am I right to be worried?” Read our response.

From Around the Web:

Long-Term Opioid Use Can Start After Surgery, New Study Shows. A study in JAMA Surgery suggests that many people start long-term opioid use after doctors prescribe them the drugs to relieve post-surgical pain.

Prescribing opioids safely: How to have difficult patient conversations. Building a strong doctor-patient rapport can help facilitate conversations with patients about opioid prescriptions and reduce risks that could lead to malpractice suits, says the author.

Nurses Drive Change in Patient Safety Improvements. A look at nurses as changemakers for patient safety at hospitals.

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