QQuestionMathematics
QuestionMathematics
# Question 10
There have been three waves of increases in opioid deaths from overdose in U.S. history. In 1990, what was the role of the pharmaceutical industry in causing this first spike?
The pharmaceutical industry started paying financial incentives to doctors.
The pharmaceutical industry began mixing opioids with another new experimental drug that many people were found to be allergic to.
The pharmaceutical industry engaged in misleading marketing, making opioids appear to be safe.
The pharmaceutical industry lobbied to include the level of pain as a fifth vital sign in medical care.
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Step 1: Understand the question and identify the correct answer.
The question asks for the role of the pharmaceutical industry in causing the first spike in opioid deaths from overdose in the U. S. history in 1990. The correct answer is: The pharmaceutical industry lobbied to include the level of pain as a fifth vital sign in medical care.
Step 2: Explain the reasoning behind the correct answer.
In the 1990s, the pharmaceutical industry engaged in misleading marketing, making opioids appear to be safe and effective for chronic pain management. As part of this marketing strategy, the industry lobbied for the inclusion of pain as the "fifth vital sign" in medical care, alongside temperature, pulse, respiration rate, and blood pressure. This initiative aimed to encourage healthcare providers to assess and manage their patients' pain more aggressively. The increased emphasis on pain management led to more liberal prescribing of opioids, which unfortunately contributed to the first wave of opioid overdose deaths. By promoting the use of opioids for chronic pain, the pharmaceutical industry played a significant role in the opioid epidemic's early stages.
Final Answer
The pharmaceutical industry lobbied to include the level of pain as a fifth vital sign in medical care, which led to more liberal prescribing of opioids and contributed to the first wave of opioid overdose deaths in the U. S. history.
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