The following is the summary of “Pain Management and Substance Use Disorders” published in the December 2022 issue of Pain Management by Sowicz, et al.

Individuals who suffer from co-occurring pain and substance use disorder have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, as well as the right to receive evidence-based, high-quality assessment and management for both conditions through the utilization of an integrated, holistic, and multidimensional approach, according to the American Society for Pain Management Nursing and the International Nurses Society on Addictions. Both of these organizations are of the opinion that individuals who suffer from co-occurring pain and substance use disorder have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

These are the views that are held by both groups. It is strongly recommended that pain management strategies be utilized that do not involve the utilization of opioids or pharmaceutical therapies. If opioids are necessary for the treatment of pain, access to these medications should not be denied to anybody. Additionally, pain specialists and addiction specialists should be included on the treatment team whenever it is feasible. 

The individual, as well as their support people, should be actively integrated into the care plan. Pain management should include interventions to minimize the chance of relapse or escalation of problematic drug use. The aforementioned position statement ought to be used as the foundation for establishing policies and procedures within institutions as the justification for doing so.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1524904222001795