Managing Pain in Patients With Substance Use Disorder

“How can you effectively manage pain in a patient with a history of substance abuse?” It’s a question many oncology nurses may ask themselves or colleagues, given the prevalence of the condition in the United States, where approximately 9% of Americans meet the diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder (SUD).

In their article in the April 2017 issue of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, Compton and Chang provided a guide for nurses caring for patients with SUD, including overview, diagnosis, and treatment of SUD as well as its implications for pain management and cancer treatment considerations when a patient with SUD is diagnosed with cancer.