Opioid Policy: Untangling the opioid conundrum

The opioid situation currently engulfing the U.S. has deep and complex roots – and finding our way out of it will require a variety of approaches, all grounded in evidence.

IHPI researchers are studying this problem, recognized as one of the most significant public health crises of our time, from all angles, including:

Determining the number of pain pills that are appropriate for common surgical procedures, based on real-world evidence and patient experience.

Monitoring the consequences – both intended and unintended – of legislation that limits opioid prescriptions

Calculating the risk of long-term dependence for people taking opioids for the first time

Evaluating opioid risk screening and virtual counseling for teens and young adults in emergency care settings

All of this information is vital for policymakers, healthcare providers, patients and families, community agencies and others who are seeking solutions to this devastating epidemic.

More Opioid Research Highlights

Opioids: Policy to Practice.

U-M and Harvard University collaborated on a two-part summit for hundreds of policymakers, researchers, and other thought leaders to discuss policy and practice approaches to addressing the nation’s opioid crisis. Videos, articles, and visual abstracts from the U-M-hosted event in May 2019 captured the day’s dynamic discussions.

Building a research community

Together, with a number of other U-M units, including the Injury Prevention Center, the University of Michigan Office of research, and the Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network (Michigan OPEN), IHPI is working to build a community of opioid researchers at U-M and beyond, now 90 members strong. The Opioid Solutions second annual networking event in November 2019 drew researchers from across campus to discuss their current research challenges, opportunities, and other ideas in the opioid space.

health professional in blue scrubs speaking with a patient

Vital opioid knowledge for providers

In partnership with U-M Academic Innovation, IHPI, Michigan OPEN and the U-M Injury Prevention Center launched an open, online course to give non-prescribing healthcare, behavioral health, dental and social services professionals the knowledge and tools to transform practice and policies around opioids.

NIH - Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) cover art

New funding for innovative opioid research

Also in 2019, several teams of IHPI researchers received millions of dollars in new federal funding for innovative projects to address opioid misuse and overdose through the National Institutes of Health’s HEAL Initiative. IHPI members will use the grants to develop emergency department-based opioid risk screening and virtual counseling for teens and young adults, evaluate telehealth-based treatment for adults with both opioid use disorder and chronic pain, and design and test an intervention to support effective delivery of an evidence-based health curriculum for drug use prevention in high school.

Discover U-M experts who study opioids and opioid policy.

Find the latest news from IHPI on opioid-related research.

Opioid Solutions at U-M is a central hub for research, educational activities, and community outreach aimed at reducing and preventing opioid misuse and overdose.

Top Policy & Practice Insights: 2019