The policy statement – Medication-Assisted Treatment of Adolescents With Opioid Use Disorders – is from the Committee on Substance Use and Prevention. It notes that opioid use disorder is “a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among US youth. Effective treatments, both medications and substance use disorder counseling, are available but underused, and access to developmentally appropriate treatment is severely restricted for adolescents and young adults. Resources to disseminate available therapies and to develop new treatments specifically for this age group are needed to save and improve lives of youth with opioid addiction.”
“The AAP recommends that pediatricians consider offering medication-assisted treatment to their adolescent and young adult patients with severe opioid use disorders or discuss referrals to other providers for this service,” the statement advises.
The six clinical reports and one policy statement are published in the September issue of Pediatrics and were released online August 22.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2bfNEj8
Pediatrics 2016.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016.