Some States Struggle, Some Shine In Efforts To Collect Data On Drug-Dependent Babies
As the opioid epidemic worsens, states are trying to figure out how to best collect information on the youngest patients affected by the crisis. In other news, a doctor preaches alternative treatments to chronic pain.
Kaiser Health News:
A Crisis With Little Data: States Begin To Count Drug-Dependent Babies
How do fix a problem if you don't know its size? Many states — including some that have been hardest hit by the opioid crisis — don't know how many of their youngest residents each year are born physically dependent on those drugs. ... To make good decisions, health officials need basic information: Which infants are affected? How many, where, and why? (Allen, 3/31)
St. Louis Public Radio:
At The Center Of Opioid Epidemic, The Need For Better Multidisciplinary Treatment For Chronic Pain
Raymond Tait, Ph.D., is the vice president for research at Saint Louis University and recently served on a federal committee that was one of five groups to help draft the National Institute of Health’s National Pain Strategy. On Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air, Tait joined host Don Marsh to discuss the new strategy for treating chronic pain to ensure patients get the most appropriate treatment to manage pain and avoid opioid addiction. (Moffitt, 3/30)
