ACT WITH
BEST PRACTICES:
TREATING PAIN

*A Note on Language

We honor the experiences of participants with lived/living experience by not changing the language people used in these videos. However, some of the videos contain language that can perpetuate stigma toward people with substance use disorders. As healthcare workers, we should use person-first language to reduce stigma and bias. Not doing so leads to worse outcomes and experiences. Please review this NIDA page on person-first language for preferred terms to use when communicating both verbally and in charts.

Treating pain in patients with substance use disorders

 

When people who have used drugs experience acute pain or the pain of withdrawal, it often gets dismissed. Treat your patients with substance use disorders with timely, evidence-based care just like you would any other patient. Learn how this can help patients complete their hospitalization.

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They kept me without giving me pain medication for 36 hours...they thought that since I was a drug addict, what I wanted was to do drugs. I don't go to hospitals for drugs. If I wanted drugs, I know where to find them.

 

- Mary, Community Health Worker