This third era of opioids ruining thousands of US lives follows a first era of iatrogenic addiction stemming from the Harrison Act of 1914, and a second was marked by changes in pain treatment attitudes between 1950 and 1970.
AMA J Ethics. 2020; 22(8):E729-734. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.729.
Before a deadly heroin overdose at 27, Jean-Michel Basquiat finished an electrically vibrant skull, prompting questions today about arts donations generated by opioid profits.
AMA J Ethics. 2020; 22(8):E735-738. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.735.
Pharma has long marketed opioids in ways that contribute to opioid use disorder and deaths by overdose. Regulatory mistakes in approving and labeling new analgesics by the FDA didn’t make us safer.
AMA J Ethics. 2020; 22(8):E743-750. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.743.
Dr Travis Rieder discusses his own experiences with opioids and the ethical challenges of “legacy patients,” and Dr Stephanie Zaza, president of the American College of Preventive Medicine, discusses the future of opioid research priorities.
This comic conveys the absurdity of overreliance on symptom measures and excessive testing in contemporary clinical decision making and health care practice.
AMA J Ethics. 2020; 22(9):E816-817. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.816.
Palliative psychiatry can facilitate compassionate resolution of ethical conflicts in end-of-life care decision making with persons with substance use disorders.
AMA J Ethics. 2023; 25(9):E678-683. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.678.
Given full information about the risks of long-term opioid therapy, patients often see the value of exploring other options rather than thinking their physicians are reluctant to prescribe narcotics for fear of litigation or regulatory action.
AMA J Ethics. 2015; 17(3):202-208. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.3.ecas1-1503.
Clinicians can support shared decision making by assessing patients’ knowledge, eligibility for screening, and preferences for engagement—active, collaborative, or passive—in the decision making process.
AMA J Ethics. 2015; 17(7):601-607. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.7.ecas1-1507.