RN and Allied Health Lecture: Management of Malignant Pain in the Era of an Opioid Epidemic

Meredith D. Keisler, PharmD, BCOP, CPP
Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Supportive Care Consult Service
UNC Hospitals
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

It is estimated that over 50 percent of cancer patients will experience pain associated with their diagnosis, many of whom will require opioid therapy. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids, prescription and illicit, are the main driver of drug overdose deaths in the US. Between 2014-2015, there was a 14.5% increase in drug overdose death rates in North Carolina. This lecture will discuss management of pain in an oncology setting while considering risk factors for opioid abuse and addiction.