The Ethical Issues Of The Undiagnosed Pain Scenario

Opioid addiction is so prevalent in the healthcare system because of the countless number of hospital patients being treated for chronic pain. While opioid analgesics have beneficial painkilling properties, they also yield detrimental dependence and addiction. There is a legitimate need for the health care system to provide powerful medications because prolonged pain limits activities of daily living, work productivity, quality of life, etc. (Taylor, 2015). Patients need to receive appropriate pain treatment, however, opioids need to be prescribed after careful consideration of the benefits and risks.

The United States of America has had a war against drugs since the 37th president, Richard Nixon, declared more crimination on drug abuse in June 1971. From mid-1990s to today, a crisis challenges the health department and government on opioid regulation, as millions of Americans die due overdoses of painkillers. Opioids are substances used as painkillers, and they range from prescription medications to the illegal drug, heroin. Abusing these substances can cause a dependency or addiction, which can lead to overdoses, physical damages, emotional trauma, and death. To ease the crisis, physicians are asked to depend on alternatives to pain management. Law enforcement cracks down on profiting drug-dealers and heroin abusers. People are warned against misusing opioids. The controversy begins for those who suffer from chronic pain, because they depend on opioids. There’s so a correlation to the 1980s cocaine epidemic, and people are upset over racial discrimination. Nonetheless, the best way to avoid this crisis is to recover the people at risk, reduce inappropriate opioid description, and have a proper response.

According to the SAMHSA (2010) report on the national survey on drug use and health almost 22.5 million people are reported to be associated with substance abuse disorder (SAMHSA, 2010). This illness was found to be very common in all age groups, both sex, and seniors. There are several effects on these individuals and their families. Many people who suffer from substance abuse disorders fail to acknowledge these serious consequences. First of all, no response of pain relief can be seen with smaller doses of pain medications, as their bodies are used to high levels of various substances at the same time. Nurses become frustrated when they try to treat and help these patients with pain. Sometimes it is difficult to think about ethical principles when nurses have to deal with such patients with pain and suffering.

The claimant was admitted to Tennova Healthcare Lebanon from 5/17/2016 to 6/01/2016. On 5/16/2016, the claimant had some drinks and was not able to drive home. She was in a confused state and apparently her son drove her home. She was last seen about 1 o'clock in the morning and was put to bed. The claimant's mother tried to contact her in the morning, mid morning, and got no response. Her mother went to her house at about 1 in the afternoon and found her in the bathroom laying between the commode and the wall breathing but unconscious. The EMS was summoned and she was brought to the emergency room. She reportedly had taken several tablets of sedatives. In May 2 or 5, the claimant was given Valium 2 mg for some leg discomfort and muscle spasm.

According to the Ohio court of claims On June 28, 2006 Ms. Cynthia Adae was taken to the Clinton Memorial hospital with symptoms of shoulder pain with limited range of motion of her right upper extremity, a nonproductive cough and fever. After being evaluated in the emergency room Ms. Adae was admitted to the hospital under the care of Dr. Pesante and Dr. Bain according to Clinton Memorial Hospital records.

Mike Alstott knows first-hand how opioids, when used correctly, can play an important role in managing pain and helping people to function, but he is also keenly aware of the growing crisis of opioid misuse and overdose. More American adults are dying from misusing prescription narcotics than ever before. An estimated 35 people die every day in the U.S. from accidental prescription painkiller overdoses resulting from things like not taking a medication as directed or not understanding how multiple

During interview Ms. Stoker was alert, aware of surroundings, and answered all questions appropriately and independently. During the visit Ms. Stoker dry heaved into a garbage bucket, and visited the restroom once. The worker was at the residence for about 2 hours. Initially Ms. Stoker was shaking uncontrollable to the point of shaking the entire bed. At the end of the visit the shaking had stopped and Ms. Stoker was smiling and interaction with worker while talking about DELETEbeing a wife and mother. During visit Ms. Stoker received a call from Alacare Home Health. She informed them she was out of her pain medicine but did not inform them she was out of all medicine. Alacare called the pharmacy and was informed she did

Considerable cautions have been obtained throughout the United States to decrease the misuse of prescription opioids and helps to minimize opioid overdoses and related complications. Even though the pain medications have a significant part in the treatment of acute and chronic pain situations, it sometimes happen that the high dose prescription or the prescribed medications, without having enough monitoring, can create bad outcomes. It is always a dilemma for the providers to find who is really in need of pain medications and to identify those who are questionably misusing opioids.

Substance abuse disorders have been considered a major epidemic by public health authorities during this century. Most recently, those who use, and abuse opioids have been in the spotlight. The growing number of overdoses, deaths, and individuals who are identified as opioid abusers has, of late, been the subject of media attention. Now coined “The Opioid

The use of opioid-based prescription medications to treat non-terminal chronic pain can cause side effects from short term use, and is overly common and ineffective. Firstly, opioid usage can induce negative short-term effects. According to William A. Darity, Jr., short-term opioid usage causes negative effects such as “euphoria, drowsiness, and impaired motor and cognitive functioning” (“Drugs”). The short term effects of the opioids may cause the patient to isolate him or herself socially due to being self-conscious about his or her friends and peers seeing the individual in their current condition. Due to his or her fragile emotional state, however, if the patient isolates him or herself during a time in which he or she should have increased

Jamison RN, Serraillier J, Michna E. Assessment and treatment of abuse risk in Opioid prescribing for chronic pain. Pain Res Cl. 2011;2011:1-12. doi:10.1155/2011/941808.

Prescription opioid abuse is the intentional use of prescribed pain medication, or analgesics, for uses other than or beyond the time limits of, what the prescription is written for. It has become a widespread problem in the United States and is growing quickly. Unfortunately, most of the blame falls on our healthcare system, which tends to take the “band aid” approach to health issues. Oftentimes, pain medications are overprescribed and undermanaged without addressing the origin of the medical ailment that is causing the pain. Due to the misconception that taking these FDA prescribed drugs are safe, rates of abuse with these drugs is on the rise. Accidental deaths due to prescription opioid overdose have increased dramatically since 1999, and surpass those caused by cocaine and heroin. Prescription opioid abuse has a tremendous negative impact on the individual, the healthcare system, and society in general. This paper will explore the trends, history, mechanisms, individual impact, societal costs, and the management and treatment of prescription opioid use and abuse.

Today the recent growth of prescription opioid painkillers has made opiate use far more domesticated and widespread than ever before.  Even though heroin use has declined, the use of prescription opiates has increased. The use of prescription opiates for people who are dependent on the drugs for pain reduction has lead to an increase in abuse. When a family member or friend begins taking the drugs, not because they need them, but because they want to feeling, it becomes an addiction. Even though an addict is dependent on opiates, a person who is opiate-dependent is different because of the psychological, physical, and financial effects.

Living with pain is a daily struggle for many among us. We as a society push our bodies past the breaking point and live to tell the tale through opioid pain relievers. What did the many generations before opioids were created do, how was the pain relieved? That’s easy enough to answer they lived with it, or they didn’t. Medical and pharmaceutical interventions have come a long way in the treatment and management of pain, so much so that now we have run into another problem, the epidemic of opioid addiction and abuse. Out of this problem a far greater problem is being seen and that is the health risks associated with any drug used in a recreational form.

A segment published by Postmedia News deliberates the good, the bad, and the ugly of opioid pain medication. The author of this article, Sharon Kirksey captures the personal and medical interpretation on this increasing problem. Prolonged use of these medications not only cause physical damage to internal organs, they also have a high risk for addiction. Sharon Kirkey wonderfully illustrates statistics in the form of monetary value, time, and human life. Although these facts and stories come from Canada, this topic is a huge problem in the United States as well.in