The Opioid Epidemic and the Role of the Occupational Health Nurse

This issue of Workplace Health & Safety contains a Continuing Nursing Education Module on “The Mental Health of the Organic Farmer: Psychosocial and Contextual Actors” 1.0 contact hour of continuing nursing education credit will be awarded by AAOHN upon successful completion of the posttest and evaluation.

A certificate will be awarded when the following requirements are met by the participant: (1) Participant logs on to the AAOHN LMS website at www.aaohn.org/education/online-learning-center and enrolls in the course ($10 members; $15 non-members); (2) The completed posttest and course evaluation are entered online at http://www.aaohn.org by January 2021; (3) A score of 75% (6 correct answers) is achieved by the participant.

Upon completion of this lesson, the occupational health nurse will be able to:

• Discuss the impact of the opioid epidemic on worker health, and describe current recommendations for opioid use and addictions treatment.

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is an Approved Provider of continuing nursing education by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is additionally approved as a CNE provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing (#CEP9283).

Contact hours received for successful completion of the posttest and evaluation may be used for relicensure, certification, and re-certification.

1. Factors contributing to the current opioid epidemic include:

2. increased availability of hydrocodone

3. limited marketing of prescription opioids

4. introduction of heroin and fentanyl into communities

The most commonly abused prescription opioids are oxycodone, hydrocodone, and ________________.

codeine

tramadol

methadone

diazepam

Which of the following people is most likely to die from a heroin overdose?

45 year old insured white male living in a rural area

30 year old uninsured black female with a history of “doctor shopping”

20 year old black male, insured, with no history of opioid use

19 year old white male, lives in large urban area, history of prescription opioid abuse

Among workers prescribed opioids, when did the risk of motor vehicle crash decrease (Gibson et al, 2009)?

when dose was gradually tapered down

as employee substituted benzodiazepines for opioids

when medications were discontinued

when pain scale scores were less than 5/10

What percent of workers’ compensation drug costs were attributed to opioids?

40%

30%

20%

15%

Recommendations for initiation of opioid treatment from the Centers for Disease Control include:

using sustained release formulations of opioids

providing no more than a three day supply of opioids

using the highest safe dose possible of opioids for rapid and effective pain control

allowing up to three refills on opioid prescriptions

Benefits to a company of implementing a drug free workplace program include all of the following EXCEPT:

decreased workplace injury

higher abstinence rates

improved employee performance

decreased turnover

Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) includes behavioral treatment, counseling, and certain medications such as

buprenorphine

morphine

naloxone

lorazepam