BC Advantage - 2017 Issue 3
Opioids and Low Back Pain – Changing the Paradigm
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Article Overview
This article reviews the growing concern around opioid use in low back pain care, including its relationship to prescribing trends, overdose risk, and treatment effectiveness. It also summarizes the role of evidence-based clinical guidance, care pathways, and team-based approaches for providers, payers, employers, and patients. The piece is useful for readers evaluating practice trends, guideline-driven care, and the broader shift toward non-opioid management strategies.
Why This Topic Matters
Low back pain is a common reason for medical visits and a frequent setting for opioid prescribing, so guidance on safer, evidence-based management has direct implications for clinical practice, care coordination, and outcomes. The article helps readers understand why current treatment patterns are under scrutiny and why alternative care models matter to stakeholders across healthcare.
Article Sections
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A Rising Epidemic
This section discusses the prevalence of low back pain and the broader concerns associated with opioid prescribing trends. It also places the topic in the context of public health and medication-related harms.
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Evidence-Based Treatment of Low Back Pain
This section summarizes clinical guidance and research-based approaches related to low back pain management. It highlights the role of evidence-based pathways, care delivery, and technology in supporting treatment decisions.
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A Team Approach
This section addresses collaborative care models and the involvement of patients, insurers, employers, and providers. It focuses on the movement toward coordinated, value-oriented management of low back pain.
What You Will Learn
- How opioid prescribing relates to low back pain care
- Why evidence-based treatment pathways are emphasized
- How collaborative care models are being applied to low back pain management
- Which stakeholder groups are involved in changing low back pain treatment approaches
Who Should Read This
- Physicians
- Nurse practitioners
- Physician assistants
- Healthcare administrators
- Payers
- Employers
- Care coordinators
- Patient engagement professionals
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