Clinical Pearls

Management of Nonmedical Opioid Use in the Setting of Hospice and Palliative Care

Joseph A. Arthur, MD MBCHB, and Monika Holbein, MD

Opioids are one of the most essential medications in the hospice and palliative care setting. Unfortunately, their inappropriate use has culminated in a national opioid crisis. The US government recently declared the crisis a nationwide public health emergency. As part of the efforts to mitigate the opioid crisis, it has become important for clinicians to develop ways to successfully manage aberrant opioid-related behaviors in patients who are receiving chronic opioid therapy.