Approaches to managing older people using opiates and their risk of dependence
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Approaches to managing older people using opiates and their risk of dependence

Ian Hamilton Lecturer, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, England;
Gerri Kaufman Senior lecturer, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, England

There is little doubt that opiates have transformed healthcare, particularly in relation to pain management. However, many patients prescribed this type of drug develop problems such as dependency. Although we do not know how many older people have developed such problems due to opiate use we know that some will. It is important for nurses to understand the context in which opiates are used, as well as the specific needs of older people and how to respond to them.

Nursing Older People. 31, 3, 40-48. doi: 10.7748/nop.2019.e1100

Correspondence

ian.hamilton@york.ac.uk

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software

Conflict of interest

None declared

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