According to a new nationwide online survey, more than 50% of doctors in America are cutting back on opioid prescriptions and nearly 10% have stopped prescribing them altogether. The survey also indicates that some doctors are concerned about the impact on those suffering from chronic pain. More than 30% of the responding physicians said that the reduction in opioid prescriptions has hurt their chronic pain patients.
The survey, which was recently conducted for The Boston Globe by the SERMO physicians social network, gives insight into the impact of changes in prescribing practices that have occurred in the wake of new state and federal regulations.
The survey indicated two primary reasons that physicians are cutting back on prescribing opioids: (1) the risks and hassles involved in prescribing opioids and (2) they not have a better understanding of the hazards associated with opioids.
