Screening for abuse risk in pain patients Journal Article


Authors: Bohn, T. M.; Levy, L. B.; Celin, S.; Starr, T. D. ; Passik, S. D.
Article Title: Screening for abuse risk in pain patients
Abstract: As opioid prescribing has dramatically expanded over the past decade, so too has the problem of prescription drug abuse. In response to these now two major public health problems - the problem of poorly treated chronic pain and the problem of opioid abuse - a new paradigm has arisen in pain management, namely risk stratification. Once a prescriber has determined that opioids will be used (a medical decision based on how intense the pain is, what has been tried and failed and, to some extent, what type of pain the patient has), he/she must then decide how opioid therapy is to be delivered. Different models of delivery of opioid therapy can be utilized, beginning the process with a risk assessment that is highly individualized to each patient. Recently, researchers have produced a wide variety of literature regarding assessment tools to be used for this purpose. And while there remains a need for larger prospective studies to examine the ability of each tool to predict aberrant drug-taking behaviors, clinicians can and should utilize one or more of these screening tools and understand their benefits and limitations. This chapter will describe the nature of current screening assessments, their potential for use in the pain population in various settings, past clinical observations and suggestions for moving forward. © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Journal Title: Advances in Psychosomatic Medicine
Volume: 30
ISSN: 0065-3268
Publisher: S. Karger AG  
Date Published: 2011-04-01
Start Page: 113
End Page: 124
Language: English
DOI: 10.1159/000324069
PROVIDER: scopus
PUBMED: 21508628
DOI/URL:
Notes: --- - "Export Date: 23 June 2011" - "Source: Scopus"
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MSK Authors
  1. Steven D Passik
    122 Passik
  2. Tara M Bohn
    2 Bohn
  3. Sheyla Celin
    1 Celin
  4. Lauren Beth Levy
    2 Levy
  5. Tatiana Starr
    35 Starr