Information for Providers
Safe Prescribing Saves Lives
Chronic pain is common, multidimensional, and individualized, and treatment can be challenging for healthcare providers as well as patients. In response to the critical need for consistent and current opioid prescribing guidelines, the CDC released the Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.
Since 1999, opioid prescriptions have quadrupled, and over 183,000 people have died from prescription opioids.1,2 These recommendations focus on clinical practice and provide evidence and guidance to improve how these drugs are prescribed—and ultimately improve patient care.
MMWR: CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain — United States, 2016
JAMA Special Communication: CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
- Page last reviewed: August 30, 2017
- Page last updated: August 30, 2017
- Content source:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
- National Center for Injury Prevention and Control,
- Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention