Brooke Worster: What can be Done About the Opioid Epidemic

With doctors having busy schedules to begin with it can be difficult to help patients who may have an addiction or issue with opioids. Taking a few extra minutes can sometimes make all the difference in helping these vulnerable patients avoid a much worse scenario.

In addition to her work in palliative care Brooke Worster also does a considerable amount of work in pain management and said the opioid addiction is a great obstacle in the field to overcome. Even with new guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control Worster said opioids continue to be an issue that doctors in the field need to confront on a daily basis and decide how best to utilize them or keep patients from taking them for fear of abuse, overdose, or addiction.