Choosing Wisely Canada
launches ‘Opioid Wisely’
C
hoosing Wisely Canada has
launched a campaign to raise
awareness around the impor-
tance of clinician-patient conver-
sations to reduce harms associated with
opioid prescribing.
The Opioid Wisely campaign is supported
by more than 30 organizations representing
doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurse practi-
tioners, other health professionals, as well as
patients and their families.
Central to the campaign is a set of 15
specialty-specific recommendations for when
the use of opioids should not be first line
therapy. These recommendations cover 12
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DIALOGUE ISSUE 2, 2018
different clinical specialties. More recom-
mendations, covering other specialties, will
be released over the coming months.
“We are seeing devastating consequences
for individuals, families and communities as
a result of the opioid crisis,” says Dr. Wendy
Levinson, Chair of Choosing Wisely Canada.
“It is a complex health and social issue,
with no simple solution. Avoiding opioids in
circumstances where safer treatment options
are available is certainly part of the solu-
tion,” said Dr. Levinson.
“Family doctors see firsthand the impact
of opioids on their patients including side
effects, addiction, overdose, and death,” says