AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with authors Risa Denenberg and Carol P. Curtiss about their article “Appropriate Use of Opioids in Managing Chronic Pain.”

Over the past two decades, the use of opioids to manage chronic pain has increased substantially. Within this same period, unintentional death related to prescription opioids has been identified as a public health crisis, owing in part to such factors as insufficient professional training and medication overprescription, misuse, and diversion. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Risa Denenberg and Carol P. Curtiss about their article, which offers an overview of current best practices for prescribing opioids for chronic pain.