Reducing painkiller abuse

March 6, 2013

The prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has published an editorial co-authored by Sunnybrook's Dr. David Juurlink.

The editorial comments on New York City's new guidelines for prescribing painkillers to patients being discharged from the city's emergency departments. "Other specialties should follow this lead," concludes the editorial. "Only by changing how opioids are prescribed can the toll of addiction and death from these drugs be reduced."

Dr. Juurlink is head of Sunnybrook's division of clinical pharmacology and toxicology, and he is a scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute.

» Read the full editorial on the JAMA website