Things We Do for No Reason™: Withholding opioids among patients with acute pain and opioid use disorder

Hospitalists care for patients with acute pain who have an opioid use disorder and require pain management. Hospitalists may withhold opioids for acute pain due to a variety of reasons. However, adequate pain management in patients with opioid use disorder, including with opioids, is the standard of care. This piece explains how to best manage acute pain in hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder with supportive evidence and discharge planning considerations.