Changing approaches to treating opioid withdrawal in the USA

In 2020, an estimated 91 799 people in the USA died of substance-related overdose—75% were related to opioids, and 85% of these opioid deaths were related to fentanyl. In 2021, overdose deaths increased to over 108 000 and provisional data from 2022 show a further increase. 1 Centers for Disease Control and PreventionNational Center for Injury Prevention and ControlDeath rate maps & graphs. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/index.htmlDate: Oct 7, 2022 Date accessed: December 12, 2022 Google Scholar The presentation of opioid withdrawal in hospitals is sometimes overlooked or even ignored, both of which are unacceptable. Possible reasons for overlooking or ignoring opioid withdrawal in hospitals include: implicit bias, poor knowledge regarding approaches to the management of opioid-related presentations, or a misunderstanding of the implications of unmanaged opioid use disorder (OUD). If we, as a society, do not change our pedagogical and practical approaches to opioid withdrawal in the USA, we fear that we will continue to see a rise in these preventable deaths.