Guidelines Released on Opiod Practices for Health Care Providers

The West Virginia Hospital Association Board of Trustees has endorsed a set of guidelines to help West Virginia’s hospitals reduce the misuse of opioid prescription drugs. Director of Communications Tina Rymer said in a news release the guidelines consist of 10 principles establishing recommendations for opioid screening, prescribing practices and appropriate use of resources to work with patients prior to prescribing an opioid pain medication. The overall goal is to ensure that health care providers in the state have standardized resources and to educate patients on the risks of taking opioid meds.