... 5590 – Opioid Addiction Action Plan Act: 115th Congress 2017-2018 There is a high level of opioid abuse in the United States that has reached epidemic proportions. According to the National Institute on Drug abuse (2018), “In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers, and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates”. Opioids are now easier to obtain than in previous years and treatment for opioid addiction is difficult to obtain. In addition, the cost of opioids “on the street” has significantly decreased. According to the United States Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (2017), heroin is...
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...Wildlife Conservation Adam Burdick Bryant & Stratton College NSCI 280 Professor Wooten 10/20/2013 Human beings are considered to be the most advance species on the planet. This also makes us the most intrusive species on the planet. We effect our environment more than any other living creature. Our populations continue to grow exponentially each year and as they do we intrude on other species habitats even more. Considering we are the most advanced species it is our responsibility to ensure the safety of all other species and do what we can to shorten the endangered species list. The conservation of wildlife is an incredibly important goal that all people should take part in. “Successful species conservation has often been defined as simply the avoidance of extinction” (Redford 2011.) This is the most important goal of anyone interested in wildlife conservation. It is important for us as a species to take responsibility and make the effort to keep other species away from extinction. Wildlife conservation is not something that can only be handled by professional members of organizations. Anyone can do their part to help protect a species in need. In some cases it is as simple as refraining from harmful activities such as hunting for sport. Hunting is a major conservation concern (Selvan & Veeraswami, p11.) If people raise awareness about how hunting effects the populations of large bodied animals perhaps we can help to reduce the damage done to these...
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...Biodiversity Paper Biology as a science concerned with living organisms, said organism’s function, origin, structure, and distribution is defined through numerous subdivisions and branches. Conservation biology is a branch, which deals with certain factors threatening biodiversity as well as the preservation of genetic and biologic diversity of animal and plant species. Threatened, endangered, and extinct species are only some factors that may influence biodiversity. Any given species has to meet a certain criteria to suit the previously named terms. Conservation biologists are concerned with numerous species because of said species’ influence on the interrelation within their ecosystems, and the interruption of such ecosystem when the numbers of a certain species are drastically decreasing. Conservation biology is concerned with the maintenance of species, their genetic variation, ecosystems, and communities within such ecosystems. Biodiversity includes “The variety of life and its processes, including the variety of living organisms, the genetic difference among them, and the communities and ecosystem in which they occur” (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2004, p. 1). Even though the term “species” is complex, and some definitions may differ slightly from others “A species is often defined as a group of individuals that actually or potentially interbreed in nature” (Berkley University, n.d., p. 1). Therefore, a species is defined as the greatest gene pool that can...
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...Solving the Opioid Epidemic Can the opioid epidemic be solved? Opioid abuse and drug addiction has created a huge problem all over America. With approximately 20,000 americans dying from prescription opioids yearly(O’Donnell), it’s shocking that more hasn’t been done yet to put a stop to this madness. Not only is this affecting thousands of americans, it has been for many years. This national emergency has risen lots of attention, but not enough to end the issue. A lot of organizations have found solutions to this problem and even put some into action, but not enough doctors, companies and organizations have taken action. The opioid epidemic can be solved, but every solution is complex. Despite the complexity of a solution, it’s incredibly...
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...performing simple daily tasks and most importantly improving general health quality of life. Due to the complex nature of chronic pain, management and treatment plan usually include multidisciplinary approaches. 1.2.1 Pharmacological approach: The first approach used to control pain is the pharmacological approach represented by the use of analgesic drugs....
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...The availability of fentanyl causes an increase of opioids on the street, for anyone to access. The article uses Dr. David Juurlink, the head of the clinical pharmacology discussed this within the article. Toxicology is the study of living organisms and the effects the chemicals of toxic substances have on them (CITE). I think the Jaimet properly used Juurlink as a source, as he has a background with drugs, has a strong understanding on fentanyl going from being prescribed to on the street. The author utilizes this to prove that the shift from prescription to street is a problem. Another source Jaimet uses is harm reduction researcher, Bernie Pauly states that the use of opioids is getting out of hand, and affects all of society; not just the users. Pauly uses this evidence to successfully educate nurses about opioid risk, then discusses ways to decrease the harm of opioid use this includes; creating supervised injection sites, drug prescription, and substance abuse therapy, also free access to at home drug tests. As a nurse, I agree that this is the best way to decrease the number of overdoses, and overall safer drug...
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...Internet.2 Additionally, the latest Monitoring the Future study—the Nation’s largest survey of drug use among young people—showed that prescription drugs are the second most-abused category of drugs after marijuana.3 In our military, illicit drug use increased from 5 percent to 12 percent among active duty service members over a three-year period from 2005 to 2008, primarily attributed to prescription drug abuse.4 Although a number of classes of prescription drugs are currently being abused, this action plan primarily focuses on the growing and often deadly problem of prescription opioid abuse. The number of prescrip tions filled for opioid pain relievers—some of the most powerful medications available—has increased dramatically in recent years. From 1997 to 2007, the milligram per person use of prescription opioids in the U.S. increased from 74 milligrams to 369 milligrams, an increase of 402 percent.5 In addition, in 2000, retail pharmacies dispensed 174 million prescriptions for opioids; by 2009, 257 million prescrip tions were dispensed, an increase of 48 percent.6 Further, opiate overdoses, once almost always due to heroin use, are now increasingly due to abuse of prescription...
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...The opioid crisis has reached a fever pitch as Surgeon General Jerome Adams is on the record stating,"The call to action is to … keep within reach, know how to use naloxone.” on NPR’s Morning Edition. By issuing this advisory for more people to become familiar with the overdose-reversing drug Naloxone, the Surgeon General is acknowledging the fact that in many parts of the country use of Naloxone by first responders has become as ubiquitous as providing CPR. When considering pseudoscience, particularly C.P Snow’s focus the “gulf of mutual incomprehension” between the humanities and sciences, there is no better current example than how pharmaceutical marketing lead to the misinformation about opioid addictiveness, overprescription opioids, and...
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...in the New England Journal of Medicine would start to change everything. The letter insisted that addiction to these new drugs was rare, especially in those with no prior history of addiction. Slowly, physicians started prescribing more and more synthetic opioids to their patients, especially those looking to avoid riskier orthopedic surgeries for their chronic pain and those suffering from terminal illnesses. Medical professionals were able to feel good about their ability to help their patients avoid surgery and help them effectively (some for the first time) manage chronic pain. In the 90s, everything changed. There was a swift shift (fueled in a big way by pharmaceutical companies) away from the tentative, opioid-shy opinions of past medical professionals. A new way of thinking emerged in which managing pain became the first focus of treatment. The pain scale illustrations that we have all seen in countless doctor’s offices were produced and used as a first line of questioning in all emergency rooms, urgent care facilities, and doctor’s offices. OxyContin, thought by many to be the drug that started it all in regards to the current opioid...
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...We, as Healthcare professionals and Pharmacists, may conceivably be able to improve the abuse of opioids if specific initiatives are taken. According to the CDC, “There is a national epidemic of prescription opioid abuse that takes about 16,000 lives each year in the U.S.” (Emergency Departments Unite to Combat Epidemic of Opioid Over-Prescribing and Avoidable Death, 2015). The city of Los Angeles reviewed this statistic and took action by implementing a plan to reduce the abuse of opioids. Several hospital emergency departments in the Los Angeles area have developed a new protocol in order to help cut down on the abuse of opiates, which was created from the American Academy of Emergency Medicine guidelines. Some of the guidelines include but are not limited to, using opioid medications only when absolutely needed, avoiding using these medications intravenously in patients that are currently on opiates as well as not allowing physicians to prescribe to patients with excuses such as, “My medication was lost or stolen.” Implementing a plan that is geared towards prevention is a step in the right direction and may help other cities and states to strive for preventative measures as well. When a doctor prescribes pain medication with the directions “as needed” on them, it is expected that the patient will follow...
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...the tab” Opioid Overdose”, the CDC mentions how the United States is under an Opioid overdose epidemic. They mention, in 2015 more than 33,000 people were killed from Opioids, including prescription opioids, and heroin. This is the most death ever recorded. The CDC states, “nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid”. To better protect the public’s health and hamper opioid overdose deaths, the CDC is first improving data. Meaning, they are enhancing “ data quality and timeliness to better track trends, identify communities at risk and evaluate prevention strategies” (CDC). Next, they are strengthening state efforts, which includes enhancing productive interventions. Finally, the CDC is equipping health care...
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...Drugs in the Workplace Mark Gomez MGT 331 December 7, 2015 Abstract Defining the “drug problem” in the workplace is a task riddled with ambiguity because employers aren’t completely sure how to implement the most suitable policy for their organization. This should be an employer’s concern because drug misuse is a serious problem that can affect the business where the user works and sometimes their co-workers. Successfully tackling the drug issue correctly can benefit the employer by reducing absenteeism, reducing accidents related to drug use and promoting a more productive environment. The focus of this paper is to review current workplace policies on drug use and the challenges it brings employers. Drugs in the Workplace When it comes to drugs, employers have a legal responsibility to look after employees’ wellbeing, health and safety. Employers have a general duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 (HSW Act) to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees (Drug Misuse at Work A Guide for Employers, 2005). A good employer will want to help employees. In some cases, alcohol or drug misuse may be used to help cope with work-related stress. If there is a problem with alcohol or drug misuse in your workplace, then this may be part of a wider stress problem. A good starting point is to focus on the scope of the situation. Prescriptive drug use in the Unites States of America accounts for roughly 48...
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...Path physiology Of Pain Within this essay I plan to discuss: one current view of path physiology of pain, two ages appropriate pain tools for babies and toddlers and will also be exploring the nursing management of acute pain experience in babies and toddlers, including a strategy for ensuring the safe delivery of care. There have been a range of theories put forward in attempt to explain the path physiology of pain, one of these is the gate control theory (Fraser.L 1996) which states that a stimuli that enters the spinal cord can be manipulated through a process of opening and closing gates, which in turn determines if impulses proceed or not. The Gate control theory provides the most plausible explanation for the process involved in the perception of pain. As there are many factors to a person’s perception of pain. When the nerve impulses from the nociceptors (a free ending nerve which is present in almost all types of tissues which act to sense and transmit pain) reaches a critical level, the T cells in the substantia gelatinosa (which regulates impulses) is triggered, therefore the gate opens. This then in turn allows the transmission of impulses to proceed to the thalamus and cerebral cortex where the perception of pain is defined (Wall and Melzack 1989). However there are scenarios when the gate remains closed even though there are impulses from the nociceptors. For example if a child...
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...countries it is more common to use morphine or other strong opioids in these situations. In 2004, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence produced guidance on the management of caesarian section, which recommended the use of intrathecal or epidural diacetylmorphine for post-operative pain relief.[14] In 2005, there was a shortage of diacetylmorphine in the UK, because of a problem at the main UK manufacturers.[15] Because of this, many hospitals changed to using morphine instead of diacetylmorphine. Although there is no longer a problem with the manufacturing of diacetylmorphine in the UK, some hospitals there have continued to use morphine (the majority, however, continue to use diacetylmorphine, and diacetylmorphine tablets are supplied for pain management). Diacetylmorphine continues to be widely used in palliative care in the United Kingdom, where it is commonly given by the subcutaneous route, often via a syringe driver, if patients cannot easily swallow oral morphine solution. The advantage of diacetylmorphine over morphine is that diacetylmorphine is more fat soluble and therefore more potent (by injection only), so smaller doses of it are needed for the same analgesic effect. Both of these factors are advantageous if giving high doses of opioids via the subcutaneous route, which is often necessary in palliative care. The medical use of diacetylmorphine (in common with other strong opioids such as morphine,fentanyl and...
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...one of the most challenging vulnerable group to work with. Substance abusers as a sub-group are a bit more intensified simply because they are typically mentally ill as well as struggling to manage their addiction. The state of Massachusetts, in particular, there is a growing epidemic of opioid addiction and overdose deaths; consequently, this crisis requires taking action in each of the following four key areas: Prevention, Intervention, Treatment, and Recovery Support (Executive Office of Health and Human Services, 2015). Drug addiction is a complex illness characterized by intense and, at times, uncontrollable drug craving, along with compulsive drug seeking and use that persist even in the face of devastating consequences ( National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2015). There are so many advantages to providing care to this specific population. For instance, imagine the broken relationships that are often associated with someone who is suffering from a substance abuse illness. There is also potential for financial deficits related to the inability to obtain and or retain a job. There is an incredible risks of contracting infectious diseases while under the influence as well. The most effective plan of care for this population is prevention. Prevention to never using drugs starts with teaching children as young as junior high to say no to drugs. It has been reported children as young as 12 years old are experiencing with alcohol, tobacco such as cigarettes & or...
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