NEW: MA Medical Society President Calls Opioid Crisis Top Priority
Saturday, December 05, 2015
"What makes this public health crisis different from any other, is that it cuts across many medical specialties and has engaged more non-medical stakeholders than any other public health issue in memory," said Dr. Dimitri.
Dimitri noted the role of physicians in the crisis saying "“In our desire to control pain, physicians unwittingly opened the door to this addiction epidemic.”
However, Dimitri also noted that physicians are in a difficult spot when it comes to changing the way they prescribe medication to patients in pain.
Issuing a Caution
Dimitri said, “it's not just an addiction crisis, it’s also a pain medicine issue. In trying to end the overdose epidemic, we cannot forget our patients who suffer from acute or chronic pain every day, and depend on opioid medications to manage it.”
Dimitri went on to issue this caution, “the major risk here is that impatience could give rise to proposals that push the pendulum too far in the other direction - and once again abandon patients who are seeking relief from their acute and chronic pain.”
Dr. Dimitri concluded his remarks by saying "“We must have the wisdom to choose the right solutions, the perseverance to stay the course, and never forget those who suffer from pain, as well as those who endure the pain of addiction. We must be the voice of our patients on both sides of the issue. For physicians, there is no more important contribution we can make to ending this crisis.”
Massachusetts Medical Society
The Massachusetts Medical Society includes over 25,000 physicians and student members. The society was found in 1781.
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