Addressing the opioid crisis: Medical student instruction in opioid drug pharmacology, pain management, and substance use disorders

The marked increase in deaths related to opioid drugs after 1999 was associated with an increase in the number of prescriptions for opioid drugs. This was accompanied by increasing demand for improved management of chronically painful conditions. These factors suggest that improvements are needed in the education of physicians with regard to the management of chronic pain, the optimal therapeutic application of opioid drugs, and the avoidance of substance use disorders. In this article, we address the evidence that physician education can influence prescribing practices and we discuss approaches to enhance the preclinical and clinical education of medical students in pain management and substance use disorders.