I ranted so much about this I got tired of it a couple of years ago. But then I noticed, via the Emergency Medicine PharmD blog, this little item in JAMA. It seems 2011 marked the eleventh consecutive year of increase in drug overdose deaths, and this was driven primarily by opiates. Do the math and it dates back to when the “pain as the fifth vital sign” campaign was getting into high gear. As concern for patient perceptions continues to trump clinical judgment don't expect the trend to reverse anytime soon, warns the blogger.
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