Outpatient Opioid Prescribing for Chronic Pain - Essentials of Safe and Effective Treatment

The management of chronic pain is a complex and challenging aspect of healthcare that significantly impacts patient quality of life and functional ability. Opioids have long been a cornerstone in the treatment of moderate to severe chronic pain, but their use has been accompanied by significant risks, including addiction, misuse, and overdose. This book fills the need for comprehensive guidance on the safe and effective prescribing of opioids in outpatient settings; it addresses this need by providing a thorough, evidence-based framework for healthcare providers.
 
Key topic covered are as follows:
 

• The multifaceted role of opioids in chronic pain management, emphasizing the balance between mitigating pain and minimizing risks
• Commonly prescribed opioids, including their pharmacology, efficacy, and safety profiles, provide crucial information for selecting appropriate opioid therapy
• The importance of safe prescribing practices, offering practical guidance on initiating and titrating opioids, managing side effects, and monitoring treatment efficacy
• The complexities of opioid use disorder (OUD), briefly touches on identifying and managing OUD, integrating treatment for OUD into chronic pain management, and legal and ethical considerations in opioid prescribing.

Outpatient Opioid Prescribing for Chronic Pain is an essential resource for pain management specialists, primary care physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers involved in the care of patients with chronic pain. Through a comprehensive and balanced approach, this book seeks to empower healthcare professionals to manage chronic pain effectively while safeguarding against the risks associated with opioid therapy.  

List of contents

Understanding Chronic Pain.- Overview of Opioids.- Assessment and Diagnosis.- Developing a Treatment Plan.- Tramadol.- Codeine.- Morphine: Pharmacologic and Clinical Considerations.- Hydrocodone: Pharmacologic and Clinical Considerations.- Oxycodone: Pharmacologic and Clinical Considerations.- Hydromorphone: Pharmacologic and Clinical Considerations.- Fentanyl: Pharmacologic and Clinical Considerations.- Tapentadol: Pharmacologic and Clinical Considerations.- Methadone: Pharmacologic and Clinical Considerations.- Buprenorphine: Pharmacologic and Clinical Considerations.- Safe Prescribing Practices and Considerations.- Strategies for Diagnosis and Management of Opioid Use Disorder.- Special Populations.

About the author

Jamal J Hasoon, MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
McGovern Medical School
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)
Fellowship Program Director - Chronic Pain Medicine

Director of Chronic Pain Research


Director of Resident Education - Chronic Pain Medicine

Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine
Department of Anesthesiology
6431 Fannin, 5.020 MSMB
Houston, TX 77030
 
Omar Viswanath, MD
Mountain View Headache and Spine Institute 
Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, Creighton University School of Medicine
Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, LSU Shreveport Health Sciences Center School of Medicine 
 
 
Ivan Urits, MD
Southcoast Physicians Group Pain Medicine
100 Rosebrook Way
Wareham, MA 02571

Summary

The management of chronic pain is a complex and challenging aspect of healthcare that significantly impacts patient quality of life and functional ability. Opioids have long been a cornerstone in the treatment of moderate to severe chronic pain, but their use has been accompanied by significant risks, including addiction, misuse, and overdose. This book fills the need for comprehensive guidance on the safe and effective prescribing of opioids in outpatient settings; it addresses this need by providing a thorough, evidence-based framework for healthcare providers.
 
Key topic covered are as follows:
 

• The multifaceted role of opioids in chronic pain management, emphasizing the balance between mitigating pain and minimizing risks
• Commonly prescribed opioids, including their pharmacology, efficacy, and safety profiles, provide crucial information for selecting appropriate opioid therapy
• The importance of safe prescribing practices, offering practical guidance on initiating and titrating opioids, managing side effects, and monitoring treatment efficacy
• The complexities of opioid use disorder (OUD), briefly touches on identifying and managing OUD, integrating treatment for OUD into chronic pain management, and legal and ethical considerations in opioid prescribing.

Outpatient Opioid Prescribing for Chronic Pain
 is an essential resource for pain management specialists, primary care physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers involved in the care of patients with chronic pain. Through a comprehensive and balanced approach, this book seeks to empower healthcare professionals to manage chronic pain effectively while safeguarding against the risks associated with opioid therapy.

 

 

Product details

• Assisted by: Jamal Hasoon (Editor), Ivan Urits (Editor), Omar Viswanath (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 05.01.2026
• EAN: 9783032074065
• ISBN: 978-3-0-3207406-5
• No. of pages: 246
• Illustrations: XII, 246 p. 1 illus.
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > Clinical medicine; Pharmakologie, Chronic Pain, outpatient, Pain Medicine, Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance, pain assessment, opioids, treatment plan