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Increased use of
morphine reflects care providers’ attention to pain relief posted 10-6-97 Oregon’s ranking as the state with the highest use of morphine for medical purposes is a testament to the medical community’s attention to those in pain, according to pain management experts. Data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration shows that Oregon’s per capita distribution of morphine was more than 50 percent higher than the U.S. average in the first six months of 1996, said Susan Tolle, MD, director of the center for ethics in health care at Oregon Health Science University in Portland. During that period, 832 grams of morphine were distributed per 100,000 Oregon residents, compared with a national average of 500 grams per 100,000 people. "There’s been heightened physician interest [in Oregon] in learning how to use morphine," said Alicia Super, RN, director of supportive care research and development services at Providence Health System in Portland. "It’s pretty clear that the public is asking for better pain relief and physicians are trying to respond." The Oregon medical community’s focus on pain management was spurred by a 1994 vote to approve physician-assisted suicide in the state. However, the measure approving assisted suicide has not gone into effect because of court appeals, and another vote is slated for November. "Certainly the vote in 1994 had a role in getting physicians to classes in pain management; they have come in record numbers," Tolle said. A third of deaths in Oregon occur in nursing homes, and studies have shown that 40 to 60 percent of nursing home patients do not receive adequate pain medication, Tolle said. "We’re pleased to see more attention being given to comfort near the time of death," she said. Oregon has made it easier to prescribe narcotics by not requiring cumbersome paperwork, she said. Super encouraged nurses to advocate pain management for their patients. "We think about pain being in the physicians’ realm, but nurses can have a significant impact," she said. Related Site |