On Monday February 13th, the American College of Physicians (ACP) published updated clinical guidelines relating to chronic low back pain, revising its previous recommendations to suggest that practitioners opt for noninvasive treatments rather than a defaulting to the use of medication as a first line of therapy. The ACP conducted various trials and reviews targeting adults with acute, subacute or chronic low back pain and recommended generally that clinicians should select non-pharmacologic treatment (i.e., superficial heat, massage, exercise, etc. ), at least initially, followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as first-line therapy, if the patient does not adequately respond to the non-pharmacologic therapy. As relating to opioids, the ACP has recommended that clinicians should only consider opioids as an option in patients who have failed both types of treatment and “only if the potential benefits outweigh the risks for individual patients and after a discussion of known risks and realistic benefits with patients.” With regulatory bodies placing significant attention on the “opioid epidemic,” it is imperative that practitioners be aware of such revisions to clinical guidelines and make it a priority to ensure that they remain in compliance with rapidly developing federal and state standards related to the use of narcotics in their clinical practices. Contact Frier Levitt to speak to an attorney.
ACP Releases Revised Guidelines for the Prescribing of Opioids for Chronic Back Pain
