Professional Paper: Opioid Crisis

Instructions – Write

Write a 5-7 page professional paper discussing challenges in pain management, the appropriate use of opioids, the role of pharmaceutical companies in patient care decisions, the role of the FDA in approving medications, the significance of a “black box warning”, the ethical responsibilities of physicians as prescribers and nurses as administers of opioids like fentanyl and OxyContin, the financial and societal damage that resulted from this crisis. 

This paper will be submitted for a plagiarism check through “turnitin”.

Professional Paper: Opioid Crisis

In the mid-1990s, pharmaceutical companies introduced opioid-based products, like OxyContin, a sustained-release formulation of a decades-old medication called oxycodone, manufactured by Purdue Pharma. Pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates. The fentanyl patch was also introduced as a treatment in chronic pain. After its introduction, other delivery methods were developed. It became clear that these medications could indeed be highly addictive. In 2017 HHS declared a public health emergencyLinks to an external site.. 

Instructions – Watch

Watch the 60 Minutes documentary on fentanyl and oxycontin: 

Video 1: Pharma Execs used Strip Clubs, Broke FDA Laws to Boost Opioid Sales (27 min 4 sec)