2018 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting-John Loeser Lecture: Opioids in a World of Hurt

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, Dr. Ken Follett, a professor of neurosurgery and the chair of a university in Nebraska, discusses the intersection of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the National Pain Strategy (NPS), and the opioid epidemic. He explains that the IOM and NPS aimed to improve pain care in the US by addressing pain as a public health problem and focusing on non-opioid and non-pharmacologic treatments. However, the opioid epidemic emerged around the same time and led to actions by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) to restrict opioid supply and usage. Dr. Follett highlights the lack of coordination and communication between these entities and the resulting challenges for pain care and patients. He expresses optimism that the attention to the opioid crisis may lead to increased reimbursement for non-pharmacologic pain care strategies in the future.

Asset Caption

Kenneth A. Follett, MD, PhD, FAANS

Keywords

opioid epidemic

non-opioid treatments

non-pharmacologic treatments

coordination

pain care

reimbursement