ASA Recommendations Included in CDC Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Pain

 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the new clinical practice guideline, titled CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain — United States, 2022 that updates and expands the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain—United States, 2016. The American Society of Anesthesiologists recognizes the CDC places an emphasis on shared decision-making between clinicians and patients with individualized pain care in mind. ASA agrees with the CDC for emphasizing that the guidelines are not a replacement for clinical judgment or individualized, person-centered care, and are not intended to be applied as inflexible standards of care across patients, and/or a law, regulation, and/or policy that dictates clinical practice.

The new guidelines align with the Society’s recommendations that opioid tapering should be gradual and collaborative, and patients should be closely monitored during this process. ASA appreciates the CDC’s additional attention to detail and greater emphasis to interventional therapies based on the Society’s recommendations by outlining these therapies in an independent section from the pharmacologic options.

The Society recognizes the CDC for updating the guidelines and for highlighting its intention to improve communication between clinicians and patients about the benefits and risks of pain treatments. Read the summary of the guidelines here.

Read the full guidelines here.