USA. Hospitals are confronting a new opioid crisis: an alarming shortage of pain meds
USA. Hospitals are confronting a new opioid crisis: an alarming shortage of pain meds
The incident command system kicked in at Brigham and Women’s Hospital about a week ago. A large team of doctors, pharmacists, and nurses began assembling every morning to confront an emerging crisis with the potential to severely undermine care for patients.
The challenge was different than it was during the Boston Marathon bombing, another event that triggered the command response. This one wasn’t rushing toward caregivers as fast. But it was similarly daunting and logistically demanding: Amid a nationwide crisis caused by too-easy access to medical painkillers, hospitals are now struggling to find enough of that same class of drugs to keep their patients’ pain controlled. (statnews.com, usa, 15.03.2018)
https://www.statnews.com/2018/03/15/hospitals-opioid-shortage/