Opiate Addiction and Considerations for Anesthesia

Opiate addiction and awareness are problems and should be of interest to our society, particularly those working in healthcare. This poster provides statistics that provide the reader with information of the depth of the problem in the United States. The poster presents information for the reader to better understand opiate addiction’s pathophysiology, signs, and symptoms. For anesthesia providers there are many different evaluations that can be made to make sure that us at risk or opiate dependent patients are safe while under anesthesia. The poster presents many alternative options to help prevent patients’ from feeling pain, while also keeping them safe through reducing the amounts of opiate that they would otherwise require. Lastly, the poster gives insight into what providers can do to be more empathetic and see the problem from the patient’s point of view so that better conversation and solutions can be achieved