Ethical Responsibilities Of Physicians In The Opioid Crisis: Case Study
The problem with painkillers originates back to prescriptions. Mark Rothstein in “Ethical Responsibilities of Physicians in the Opioid Crisis,” discusses the over prescribing of pain medication versus the responsibilities that doctors are originally supposed to practice and perform. Rothstein (2017) found that “many of today's addicted individuals trace their addictions to opioid pain prescriptions lawfully written by physicians” (para. 6). The main issue is not because of bad doctors, but the poor policies that led to doctor shopping, where patients would jump from doctor to doctor receiving prescription opioids (Katel, 2016). Doctors have seemed to become burnt out on fulfilling their duties for the welfare of all of their patients.
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Anika Reed clarifies the spread of drug abuse and how authorities still attempt to find a solution. According to “Drug Abuse” by Anika Reed (2017), “Government data published on June 20 show that opioid-related issues were responsible for 1.27 million emergency room visits or inpatient stays in 2014, the latest year for which figures are available” (Reed, 2017). Reed found that the information resulted in a 64% increase in inpatient care and a 99% increase in emergency room visits from 2005 (2017). It is clearly shown by the evidence in the article, that this issue has been recognized by the medical field. This leaves hospital employees helpless to the major issue, and only limited to treating the effects after they have occured. Opioid overdoses are rising each year, sending the statistics through the roof and families down the …show more content…
In the article “Out-of-Pocket Prices of Opioid Analgesics in the United States, 1999–2004,” Benjamin Craig and Scott Strassels study the out-of-pocket prices that the average adult pays for prescription opioids. The studies concluded that the typical adult with no coverage paid $12.86–$61.60 to fill their prescription, depending on the medicine (Craig, Strassels, 2010). Anyone looking for a quick fix can argue that the low cost and the pain relief would be the better choice. In the article “The Influence of Physical Therapy Guideline Adherence on Healthcare Utilization and Costs among Patients with Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review of the Literature,” Hanney, Masaracchio, Liu & Kolber (2016) conducted studies on the cost and effects of guideline physical therapy for adherent treatment. Preliminary evidence showed that adherence to clinical practice guidelines could help with decreasing utilization and costs (Hanney, Masaracchio, Liu & Kolber 2016). Although the cost is low and almost instant pain relief with the use of opioids, physical therapy is cheaper in the long run and shows overall better results than
Anika Reed clarifies the spread of drug abuse and how authorities still attempt to find a solution. According to “Drug Abuse” by Anika Reed (2017), “Government data published on June 20 show that opioid-related issues were responsible for 1.27 million emergency room visits or inpatient stays in 2014, the latest year for which figures are available” (Reed, 2017). Reed found that the information resulted in a 64% increase in inpatient care and a 99% increase in emergency room visits from 2005 (2017). It is clearly shown by the evidence in the article, that this issue has been recognized by the medical field. This leaves hospital employees helpless to the major issue, and only limited to treating the effects after they have occured. Opioid overdoses are rising each year, sending the statistics through the roof and families down the …show more content…
In the article “Out-of-Pocket Prices of Opioid Analgesics in the United States, 1999–2004,” Benjamin Craig and Scott Strassels study the out-of-pocket prices that the average adult pays for prescription opioids. The studies concluded that the typical adult with no coverage paid $12.86–$61.60 to fill their prescription, depending on the medicine (Craig, Strassels, 2010). Anyone looking for a quick fix can argue that the low cost and the pain relief would be the better choice. In the article “The Influence of Physical Therapy Guideline Adherence on Healthcare Utilization and Costs among Patients with Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review of the Literature,” Hanney, Masaracchio, Liu & Kolber (2016) conducted studies on the cost and effects of guideline physical therapy for adherent treatment. Preliminary evidence showed that adherence to clinical practice guidelines could help with decreasing utilization and costs (Hanney, Masaracchio, Liu & Kolber 2016). Although the cost is low and almost instant pain relief with the use of opioids, physical therapy is cheaper in the long run and shows overall better results than