Canadian physicians are being advised to reduce their prescribing of opioid medication to patients with chronic non-cancer pain in a new guideline for clinical care that focuses on harm reduction.
The guideline was developed in response to concerns that Canadians are the second highest users per capita of opioids in the world, while the rates of opioid prescribing and opioid-related hospital visits and deaths have been increasing rapidly.
The guideline's recommendations for clinical practice have been developed by an international team of clinicians, researchers and patients, led by the Michael G. DeGroote National Pain Centre at McMaster University and funded by Health Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The guideline incorporates medical evidence published since the previous national opioid use guideline was made available in 2010. They are recommendations for physicians, but are not regulatory requirements.
Caption This is an image of opioids.
An estimated 15% to 19% of Canadians live with chronic non-cancer pain, which is pain lasting more than three months and interfering with daily activities.
The guideline does not look at opioid use for acute pain, nor for patients with pain due to cancer or in palliative care, or those under treatment for opioid use disorder or opioid addiction.
