Source: NPR
Surgeons at the University of Michigan are prescribing fewer opioids to reduce the risk of addiction. John Moore/Getty Images
It may not be rocket science, but a group of surgeons at the University of Michigan has devised an approach to help curb the nation’s opioid epidemic — starting at their own hospital.
Opioid addiction has been deemed a “public health emergency” by the White House. It’s estimated to have claimed 64,000 lives in 2016 alone. And research shows that post-surgical patients are at an increased risk of addiction because of the medicine they receive to help manage pain during recovery.
To lower the risk, there’s a simple remedy: Surgeons should give patients fewer pills after surgery — the time when many people are first introduced to what can be
