The Rise of Clinical Decision Support Algorithms in Pain Management, 2009–2024

Pharmaceutical companies have worked hard to protect their reputation by shifting blame for the opioid crisis away from themselves and onto individual patients. In the new article, “The Rise of Clinical Decision Support Algorithms in Pain Management, 2009–2024,” published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, CTCRE Fellow Dan Kabella, PhD looks at how digital tools like NarxCare play a key role in this.

NarxCare is a tool used in healthcare to predict the risks of opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose and to guide doctors’ decisions. These tools often put the focus on patients’ behavior instead of problems like aggressive marketing with the pharmaceutical companies. Using internal documents and public information, their research shows how these companies have pushed tools like NarxCare as proof they are managing the crisis. Instead of making real changes, these tools allow the opioid industry to define “legitimate” opioid use through careful prescribing and monitoring, while leaving the system that protects industry interests intact.

This article was co-aithored by CTCRE Fellowship Co-Director Dorie Apollonio, PhD, MPP, UCSF Professor Kelly Knight, PhD, and doctoral student Halle Young. 

Access the full article here