Shifting the Paradigm for Opioid Use Disorder: Changing the Language.

Morbidity and mortality associated from opioid use have been on the rise, exemplifying a major public health epidemic. Despite public health interventions, opioid-related morbidity and mortality have yet to plateau or decrease. One explanation for this phenomenon is the presence of barriers to evidence-based pharmacotherapies. Stigma has only recently been identified as a barrier to treatment. The purpose of this report is to evaluate language utilized to describe opioid use disorder and associated pharmacological treatment. Nurse practitioners must emerge as leaders in assuring that patient-centered and non-stigmatizing language is utilized, in order to improve patient outcomes.