Opioids and Public Health: Glossary of Terms

This data portal hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention depicts how drug overdose deaths and opioid-involved deaths continue to increase in the United States; overdose deaths from opioids have increased by a factor of six since 1999. Opioids are a drug class that contains heroin as well as prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, codeine, fentanyl, and others; these substances interact with specific brain receptors to reduce the intensity of…

This instructor’s note is part of a teaching pack on the global pain epidemic, focusing specifically on opioid use and palliative care. It provides an overview of the epidemic, learning objectives, and a list of required materials to teach the lesson. Companion materials in the teaching pack include a lesson, “An Opioid Epidemic for Whom?” as well as an annotated bibliography and glossary of terms.

This annotated bibliography is a selected sampling of educational resources about opioid use and the global pain epidemic. The bibliography is part of a teaching pack on “Opioids and Public Health.” Other materials in the teaching pack include an instructor’s note, a lesson plan, “An Opioid Epidemic for Whom?”and a glossary of terms.