Health Policy Manag.  2021 Dec;31(4):409-422. 10.4332/KJHPA.2021.31.4.409.

Lessons from Using Opioid to the Treatment of Chronic Pain: Focus on Experiences with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Countries

• IM J
• Cho JY

• KMID: 2525765
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4332/KJHPA.2021.31.4.409

Abstract

The growing use of prescription analgesic opioids has rapidly escalated the treatment of chronic pain since the 1990s; however, it is also highly needed to control opioid-related issues, including opioids misuse, abuse, and addiction. In 2018, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) secretariat administered the survey on opioids use and policies to OECD countries and presented it at the Health Committee meeting of December 2018. This study aimed to review the opioids use in OECD countries and their policies to prevent and reduce associated harms, also seek the available policy lessons from OECD countries. More recently, opioids prescribing rate have been increased 14.7% between 2011–2013 and 2014–2016 and steadily focused on the main substance misused and abused in Korea. In addition, policy efforts have contributed to developing a guideline for prescribing opioids to steer the appropriate use of prescription analgesic opioids since 2000 in Korea, so it is not enough to control opioids compared with other OECD countries. Therefore, taking a people-centered and public health perspective, it will consider the health system policies and interventions at a national level to improve their preparation and approach to control opioid-related issues.

Keyword

Prescription analgesic opioid; Treatment of chronic pain; Opioid-related Issues; OECD countries; Health system policies and interventions