Opioid Prescribing Resources For Emergency Departments

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By Disease or Condition

Immunizations

Alcohol and Drug Use

Smoking and Tobacco Use

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Infectious Diseases

Health Care-Associated Infections

Children and Adolescents

Immigrant Health


Opioid Prescribing Resources for Emergency Departments

The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released the NYC Emergency Department Discharge Opioid Prescribing Guidelines in January, 2013. Developed with an expert clinical advisory panel of emergency department (ED) physicians, the guidelines provide recommendations for opioid analgesic prescribing to patients being discharged from EDs.

These guidelines adapted general Health Department guidance on opioid prescribing for the ED setting given the vital role of the ED in treating patients with painful medical conditions. The goal of these guidelines is to reduce adverse health consequences of prescription opioid analgesic use, including opioid dependence and overdose — problems that have reached epidemic proportions in the United States and in New York City. The guidelines are not meant for patients in palliative care programs or with cancer pain. They do not replace clinical judgment in the appropriate care of patients nor are they intended to provide guidance on the management of patients while they are in the ED. Links to the guidelines and accompanying materials can be found below.

NYC Emergency Department Discharge Opioid Prescribing Guidelines (PDF)
Opioid prescribing guidelines.

Opioid Pain Relievers: What You Need to Know (PDF)
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Patient handout: information on use, risks, storage, and disposal.

Opioid Prescribing Poster for NYC Emergency Departments. (PDF)
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Poster with highlights of opioid prescribing guidelines that can be displayed in emergency departments for patients to view. A PDF is available here; to order 18 x 24” color posters at no charge, email EDguidelines@health.nyc.gov with your request.

Many NYC hospital emergency departments have already adopted the guidelines. Here is a list of
these institutions:

Bellevue Hospital Center

Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center

Brooklyn Hospital Center

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center

Coney Island Hospital

Elmhurst Hospital Center

Flushing Hospital Medical Center

Forest Hills Hospital

Harlem Hospital Center

Jacobi Medical Center

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

Kings County Hospital Center

Lenox Hill Hospital

Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center

Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Lutheran Medical Center

Maimonides Medical Center

Metropolitan Hospital Center

Montefiore Medical Center

New York Community Hospital

New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens

New York Methodist Hospital

New York-Presbyterian/Allen Hospital

New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center

New York-Presbyterian/ Lower Manhattan Hospital

New York-Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell Medical Center

New York University Langone Medical Center

North Central Bronx Hospital

Queens Hospital Center

Richmond University Medical Center

Saint Barnabas Hospital

Saint John's Episcopal Hospital

Staten Island University Hospital, North Site

Staten Island University Hospital, South Site

SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center