Chronic Opioid

Models based on electronic health records may estimate the risk for chronic opioid use in patients with osteoarthritis, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Opioids are needed when the pain cannot be blocked with a regional intervention, or when the pain is severe and the patient is on active chemotherapy and cannot have acetaminophen or anti-inflammatories. The use of opioids should ideally be short-term, at the lowest effective dose and used as needed — we would want to add other lines of therapy when the rest of the medical picture allows.