A protocol for addressing acute pain and prescribing opioids

Physicians across the country are re-examining their role in the prescription opioid abuse problem. In response to growing public awareness about the dangers of opioids, the Minnesota Medical Association formed a Prescription Opioid Management Advisory Task Force. As part of its work, the task force partnered with the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) to develop a protocol for prescribing opioids for acute pain. This article describes the development of the new ICSI Acute Pain Assessment and Appropriate Opioid Prescribing Protocol and highlights key aspects of the protocol, which emphasizes shared decision-making and careful, conservative prescribing.