The use of these medications should be "dramatically reduced," the global health group recommended.
Reductions in doses (if not complete cessation) of other medications should be strongly considered.
Prescription medications should be the last step, taken only when all else fails.
These parameters, along with a patient's comorbidities and concomitant medications, should be considered when selecting an analgesic and dose regimen.
Managing side-effects of powerful medications should be baseline, without the need for special terms or IOM reports.
Or they mistakenly believe that the medications should be used only temporarily, to help wean patients off stronger opioids.
Patients taking oral medications should be counseled on dosage and frequency instructions, potential side effects, and the treatment goals.
In addition to these samples, a brief questionnaire on the subject's health, nutrition, and medications should be filled out.
Prescription medications should be carried in their original, labeled bottle with the generic name of the drug.
Full protocols and data (without patient identifiers) from clinical trials of approved medications should be publicly available.
In exchange for a less expensive approval process, these medications should be priced less than the average new oncology medication.
