Emergency department strategies to combat the opioid crisis in children and adolescents.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Cindy D. Chang, University of California Los Angeles; Mohsen Saidinejad, University of California Los Angeles; Zaza Atanelov, North Florida Regional Medical Center; Ann M. Dietrich, Ohio University; Samuel Hiu-Fung Lam, Sutter Medical Center Sacramento; Emily Rose, University of Southern California; Tim Ruttan, Dell Children's Medical Center; Sam Shahid, American College of Emergency Physicians; Michael J. Stoner, Nationwide Children's Hospital; Carmen Sulton, Emory University; Corrie E. Chumpitazi, Baylor College of Medicine
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-08
• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 The Authors. JACEP Open published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Emergency Physicians
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12512
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: e12512
• End Page: e12512
• Keywords: crisis; pain management; opioid‐related disorders; policy; harms; narcotics
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

The opioid crisis has greatly affected not only adults but also children as well. As clinicians develop effective approaches to minimize pain and distress in children, the risks and benefits of opioids must be carefully considered. Children of parents with opioid use disorder are also at risk of living in unstable environments, performing poorly academically, engaging in future drug use, and having increased stress, which affects their development before entering adulthood. This statement focuses on the effects of the opioid crisis on children and adolescents and is intended to inform institutional policies, improve education, advocate for evidence-informed guidelines, and improve the care of children affected by the opioid epidemic who are seen in the emergency department.