Questions Raised About Prescribing Painkillers for Dementia Patients (BBC Radio Four / BBC News)

Summary

An investigation into the role of big pharma in the international opioid crisis, from BBC Radio 4, touches upon questions about the ethics and suitability of pain management embedded semi-routinely in care for persons with dementia:

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Reference

Opioids: A Painful Prescription? [Online]: BBC Radio Four’s “File on Four” programme, May 12^th 2019 [and] May 14^th 2019.

Expert opinion on the uncertainties:

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Reference

Erdal, A. Ballard, C. [and] Vahia, IV. [et al] (2019). Analgesic treatments in people with dementia – how safe are they? A systematic review. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety. April 30^th 2019: 1-12. [Epub ahead of print].

Possibly of related background interest:

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Reference

University of East Anglia Medicines Optimisation Group (2019). Toolkit for tackling chronic opioid use in non-cancer pain. [Online]: University of East Anglia; Medicines Optimisation Group, May 2019.

Concerning an Office for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report:

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Reference

Pym, H. (2019). Opioid addiction numbers to be revealed for the first time. London: BBC Health News / BBC Reality Check, July 30^th 2019.

Painkillers Don’t Exist

Concerning the “painkillers don’t exist” public awareness campaign (deployed initially in Sunderland) aiming to reduce reliance on prescription painkillers:

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Reference

Triggle, N. (2020). Ban term ‘painkiller’ to end obsession with drugs. London: BBC Health News, February 6^th 2020.