Docs more likely to give opioids later in the day and when behind schedule
The time of day has a notable impact on clinicians’ opioid prescribing decisions, according to a new study. Conducted by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of Minnesota, the study examined prescribing…
Significant barriers to care for patients seeking medication for opioid use
For immediate release: June 3, 2019 Boston, MA – Buprenorphine-naloxone (buprenorphine), a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), is difficult to access in states with high rates of death associated with OUD, according to new…
Exploring solutions to the opioid epidemic
Nearly 100 researchers, health professionals, policymakers and community members gathered in Ypsilanti, Michigan on Friday, May 10, 2019 for a daylong summit, cosponsored by Harvard University and the University of Michigan, aimed at finding scalable solutions to the…
Tightening access to painkillers won’t end the opioid epidemic
Policies intended to curb opioid overdoses by limiting access to prescription painkillers may have unintended consequences, including a potential short-term uptick in overdose deaths, according to a new study. The study, which simulated the impact of 11 policies…
How doctors see the opioid epidemic
The opioid epidemic, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and contributed to a decline in American lifespans, has forced doctors and other medical professionals to reassess policies and practices that have contributed to it. A feature…
No easy path to reducing opioid overdoses
Efforts aimed at curbing access to opioids, including prescription drug monitoring programs and prescribing guidelines, will have only a modest effect on reducing the number of overdose deaths, according to new research. Researchers developed a mathematical model to…
Opioid, amphetamine use spikes in pregnant U.S. women
Opioid use quadrupled and amphetamine use doubled among pregnant U.S. women over the past decade, according to a new study. Researchers found that opioid use jumped from 1.5 per 1,000 deliveries in 2004 to 6.5 per 1,000 in…
Poll: Drug/opioid abuse and economic concerns cited as biggest problems facing rural communities
For immediate release: October 16, 2018 Boston, MA – According to a new NPR/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health poll, rural Americans cite drug/opioid abuse as the biggest problem facing their local community (25%),…
Highest opioid prescribing rates in U.S. among congressional districts in Southeast, Appalachia, and rural West
For immediate release: July 19, 2018 Boston, MA – Congressional districts with the highest opioid prescribing rates are predominantly concentrated in the southeastern U.S., with other hotspots in Appalachia and the rural west, according to a new study…
Curbing opioid use disorder by treating it in the doctor’s office
If primary care physicians (PCPs) offered medication treatment for opioid use disorder more frequently, overdose deaths could be reduced, according to a Perspective article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) co-authored by Michael Barnett of Harvard…