Current and evidence based prescribing practices alongside with patient education are relevant steps necessary to address the negative impact of prescription drug overdoses in Connecticut. Health care professionals who prescribe these opioid based medications have the responsibility to help ensure the safe and effective use of them.
Clinical Guidelines on Prescribing Opioids for Treatment of Pain:
An appropriate standard of care permits the use of controlled substances including opioid analgesics in the treatment of acute pain due to trauma or surgery and chronic pain due to cancer or non-cancer origins. Consequently, all prescribers and health care professionals should become knowledgeable about assessing patients’ pain and effective methods of pain treatment.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) supports reasonable guidelines that adopt the basic principles stated in the Federation of State Medical Board (FSMB) Guidelines. Some of the guidelines available in Connecticut include:
Information on applying for a physician waiver to prescribe or dispense buprenorphrine under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000) Click here.
For more information, please call
The Office of Injury Prevention
(860) 509-8251