Speaking ahead of the annual meeting of the Association of Health Care Journalists, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, said that he is committed to reducing the number of prescription drug and substance abuse overdoses in the US.

As part of his effort to reduce overdoses, Murthy is reaching out to physicians and medical professionals who prescripe opioids for pain. He plans to write more than a million physicians, nurses, physicians assistants and dentists with a “personal entreaty” to change prescribing practices.

“Nurse practitioners, physicians, and dentists … they want to relieve suffering, they want to treat pain,” said Murthy. “What we have found is that many precribers were never really trained in how to treat pain safely and effectively. “That’s something we want to change.”

In his speech to the AHCJ, Murthy noted that left unchecked, opioids and prescription painkillers can lead people to search for newer, more powerful drugs, like heroin. According to Murthy, 80 percent of heroin users say their addiction began with prescription drugs.

“I see prescribers as being essential part of solution to opioid crisis,” he continued. “Unlike many other substances like heroin and other illicits, the majority of supplies of misused prescription opiates are coming from legally written prescriptions. That means doctors, dentists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants have the power to turn the tide on the opioid epidemic by virtue of their ability to prescribe, and their ability to inform and educate patients. Our goal is to build a national movement in medicine to take on this crisis as one we’re uniquely positioned to solve as prescribers.”

To get a better idea of the scope of the problem, Murthy’s office plans to produce the office’s first-ever report on substance abuse, addiction and health.

“The goal of that is to bring together the best possible science on treatment and recovery, so we can equip practitioners, patients, and policymakers with the information they need to promote better health and treat addiction,” he said.

Also Addressing Physician Burnout

Murthy stated that opioid and substance abuse overdoses were one aspect of healthcare that he wanted to focus on, but the other topic centered around physician burnout. Physicians and individuals in the medical profession have some of the highest burnout rates of any job, and they routinely score low on tests of emotional well-being. Murthy and colleagues say the emotional drain is pushing skilled workers into other industries at a time when we need to be hiring more doctors.

My colleague Dr. Lance Silverman dives into the topic of physician burnout on his blog.