Those employees who have suffered serious work injuries, such as neck, back, and spine injuries, must frequently rely on advanced medical regimens to help them heal and eventually return to work. As part of these regimens, they may be expected to undergo physical therapy and take a prescription opioid to help manage their pain levels.

Interestingly, there is now a growing concern among healthcare professionals and other work safety advocates about the problem of prescription opioid abuse among injured employees.

In fact, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) recently drafted a letter to work comp agencies in the 50 states, alerting them of the epidemic, and the risk it presents to the health, safety and welfare of the U.S workforce.

"The abuse of prescription opioids has become a grave personal risk to injured workers, a disruptive force in the lives of those close to claimants harmed by abuse, and a cost concern to other stakeholders in the United States workers' compensation system," reads the letter.

According to Barry Eisenberg, executive director of the ACOEM, both organizations are supportive of the use of prescription opioids for controlled pain relief. However, he also points out that there is no evidence showing that long-term use of prescription opioids has any real medical benefit.

"It doesn't produce good patient outcomes, it produces addiction," he said. "Once you've gone through and studied the evidence, it just became obvious that as a matter of public policy, there's a large problem in the workers' comp system of overprescribing and usage of opioids."

The ACOEM and IAIABC letter highlight California, Texas, and Washington as places where state agencies have implemented effective strategies in combating prescription opioid abuse, including the adoption of evidence-based medical practice treatment guidelines specifically geared toward opioids.

The letter goes on to urge state agencies to either visit the IAIABC's resource page on their website for information or attend an upcoming webinar.

Stay tuned for further developments from our San Diego workers' compensation blog ...

You should strongly consider seeking the necessary medical treatment if you have suffered any type of neck, back and spine injury - regardless of your employment setting.

This post was for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.

Source:

Risk & Insurance, "IAIABC, ACOEM target state workers' comp agencies with opioid message" Oct. 24, 2011