Over the past 15 years, increasing numbers of Americans have been prescribed opioids for pain management. Sales of prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999. So have deaths related to prescription opioids. So have heroin-related deaths.
APTA’s #ChoosePT campaign raises awareness about the dangers of prescription opioids and encourages consumers and prescribers to choose safer alternatives like physical therapy, consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines released in March 2016 urging nondrug treatment for most chronic pain conditions.
APTA has developed several #ChoosePT resources that are available to you to help educate your fellow physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, other healthcare professionals, and patients. Please print them out and have them available at your clinic and healthcare system.
Two resources include:
- ChoosePT_1pager_PT_PTA for PTs and PTAs, including an opioid awareness checklist.
- ChoosePT Pain Profile, including a 5-day pain diary. Encourage patients to fill it out and bring it with them to appointments to facilitate conversations about their treatment.
For additional resources go to www.moveforwardpt.com/ChoosePT/Toolkit
