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Taking a scalpel to opioid painkiller risks: New surgery research shows progress and opportunities

Original post: Newswise - Substance Abuse Taking a scalpel to opioid painkiller risks: New surgery research shows progress and opportunities

A wave of new studies shows what happens when surgical teams work together to reduce the emphasis on, and supply of, opioid painkillers while still seeking to ease surgery patients’ pain.

Diseases of despair diagnoses increase in Pennsylvania

Original post: Newswise - Substance Abuse Diseases of despair diagnoses increase in Pennsylvania

Newswise imageMedical diagnoses involving alcohol-related disorders, substance-related disorders and suicidal thoughts and behaviors – commonly referred to as diseases of despair – increased in Pennsylvania health insurance claims between the years 2007 and 2018, according to researchers.

Excessive Alcohol Consumption During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Original post: Newswise - Substance Abuse Excessive Alcohol Consumption During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Study Highlights
* The full impact of COVID-19 on alcohol use is not yet known, but rates have been rising during the first few months of the pandemic

* There’s an urgent need for public health and medical responses to address harmful alcohol use

Real-time opioid overdose tracking system shows rise in the time of COVID-19

Newswise imageAn epidemic that was already raging before COVID-19 arrived has flared up in recent months, according to a real-time tracking system in Michigan. It shows a 15 percent rise in suspected opioid overdose deaths since March, compared with the same time last year, and a 29% rise in first responders’ use of the rescue drug naloxone.

Opioid Use Disorder? Electronic Health Records Help Pinpoint Probable Patients

Newswise imageA new study suggests that patients with opioid use disorder may be identified using information available in electronic health records, even when diagnostic codes do not reflect this diagnosis. The study demonstrates the utility of proxies coding for DSM-5 criteria from medical records to generate a quantitative DSM-5 score that is associated with opioid use disorder severity. The study methods are unique in deriving a severity score that aims to mirror severity scores from more traditional interview-based diagnostic procedures.