Well before the current administration recognized the opioid crisis as a national public health emergency, healthcare workers have been aware of the spike in opioid-related hospitalizations and deaths. Recently, the general public is beginning to learn the shocking statistics: 68% of overdose deaths in 2017 were opioid-related, six times higher than in 1999. On average, 130 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. In today's post, we examine how this growing crisis has, and will continue to, impact infection control and prevention efforts.
