Nurse-Led Initiatives to Reduce Opioid Use and Improve Chronic Pain Management

Abstract

The world-wide opioid epidemic underscores the critical demand for safer and more efficacious approaches to treat chronic pain. Nurses, being the front-line caregivers will have a significant role to play in adopting patient-centered nonopioid pain management. In this review, we summarize existing evidence related to nurse-led interventions designed to decrease opioid dependency and improve chronic pain outcomes. Patient education in pain self-management, use of multimodal non-pharmacological therapies, stepwise opioid wean and close tracking for compliance and adverse effects are key strategies. Nurse-led multidisciplinary initiatives, motivational interviewing and the application of digital health technologies have also shown to be successful in facilitating treatment success. There is a growing body of evidence to support the use of nurse-driven interventions that not only decrease opioid consumption but also improve functional status, quality of life, and patient satisfaction. However, barriers still exist which include lack of infrastructure, variability in training and departmental resistance. Further research is needed to develop nurse-led protocols, increase interprofessional education, and assess longterm patient-centred outcomes. Empowering nurses in the care of analgesic control is an important strategy toward achieving the twin objectives of reducing opioid-related harm and enhancing treatment of chronic pain.