ASA Provides Feedback on the Uptake of the Revised CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain

On December 2, ASA submitted comments to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on their proposed information collection project titled “Comprehensive Evaluation of the Implementation and Uptake of the CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain”. The CDC is assessing the dissemination, impact, and implementation of the 2022 CDC Clinical Practice Guideline to ensure that patients have access to safer, effective ways of managing their pain.

In 2016, the CDC established guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain, later revising them in 2022 at the urging of ASA and other pain medicine stakeholders. ASA’s recommendations were included in the revised guidelines, which were seen as a significant improvement by the medical community. The guidelines emphasize shared decision-making between clinicians and patients, focusing on individualized pain care.

To inform ASA's comments to the CDC, the ASA Committee on Pain Medicine conducted an internal survey of chronic pain physicians to evaluate the impact of the 2022 guidelines on opioid prescribing. The survey found that the primary source of information about the guideline was professional society announcements, with 64% of respondents reporting they were informed by a professional society. The survey also assessed the guidelines' impact on clinical practice and decision-making, with approximately 70% of physicians indicating that they made changes to their clinical practice as a result, highlighting the significant influence these guidelines have had on opioid prescribing decisions.

ASA will continue working with the CDC to ensure that patient needs are met and the safe prescribing by physicians.