What can veterinary clinic staff do to identify and prevent opioid misuse?

• Watch for warning signs in clients and staff.

• Follow FDA guidance.

• Help educate clients and colleagues.

• Look at role of opioids in staff suicides.

Since 1999, more than 750,000 people have died from overdoses involving opioids, including both prescription drugs and illegal street opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Everyone has a role to play in helping to curb the misuse of opioids, including your veterinary clinic's staff. It is important to get information about misuse into the hands of staff members.

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Click on the image to download a free opioid education poster that you may use in your clinic. 

The Food and Drug Administration offers some valuable guidance in The Opioid Epidemic: What Veterinarians Need to Know.  The FDA provides the following information on how to tell if a client or employee is potentially abusing opioids.

Some warning signs that a client is potentially abusing opioids may include:

• Suspect injuries in a new patient
• Asking for specific medications by name
• Asking for refills for lost or stolen medications
• Pet owner is insistent in their request

Some warning signs that veterinary staff may be abusing opioids include:

• Mood swings, anxiety, or depression
• Mental confusion and an inability to concentrate
• Making frequent mistakes at work
• Not showing up for work

The role of opioids in veterinary staff suicides must also be examined. Suicide is more likely among veterinarians than among the general population — 1.6 times more likely for male veterinarians and 2.4 times more likely for female veterinarians. Veterinary technicians and technologists are also more likely to commit suicide than the general population — 5.0 times more likely for males and 2.3 times more likely for females. Technicians and technologists most often died from opioid poisoning.

No one is blaming veterinarians directly for this crisis, but as DEA registrants and prescribers, veterinarians are part of the supply chain and need to be aware of this serious issue.