Musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis are the leading cause of disability and chronic pain in the United States. Historically, clinicians have prescribed opioids to people experiencing severe and chronic arthritis pain with the goal of improving physical function, participation in daily activities, and quality of life.
With the support of NIDILRR funding, American Institutes for Research (AIR) is working to lay the groundwork for primary care providers and specialists to accurately assess for opioid use disorder (OUD) in people with disabilities who are taking opioids long term to manage musculoskeletal pain, while using the best evidence to minimize OUD over- and under-diagnosis. A recently released issue brief from the project overviews a literature review summarizing the issues on OUD and long-term opioid use in this group of people with disabilities and chronic arthritis pain.