In a 2024 ACEP poll, 91 percent of emergency physicians said that they, or a colleague, had been victims of violence in the past year. ACEP is making sure that legislators and health care leaders across the country hear directly from emergency physicians: violence should never be considered “just part of the job.”

ACEP and chapters nationwide are proud to lead the push for accountability and stronger protections for emergency physicians and care teams.

Emergency Physicians Prescribing Fewer Opioids for Low Back Pain, Study Finds

New research examining emergency department visits for low back pain found a significant decrease in the use of opioids for treatment, according to a study published last month in Annals of Emergency Medicine.

This signals a shift in clinical practice because of heightened awareness of opioid overuse, the study authors said.

Low back pain was the primary reason for one in 20 emergency visits from 2016-2022, making it one of the most common reasons people seek emergency care.

Researchers analyzed National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care data to capture trends in how emergency departments across the country diagnose and treat the common condition. They found that the rate of prescribing opioids to treat low back pain decreased considerably, from 32 percent in 2016 to 13 percent in 2022.

“The decline in opioid prescribing shows physicians are responding to evidence and changing their practice at a time of growing awareness of the opioid epidemic,” said Howard S. Kim, MD, MS, FACEP, lead study author and emergency physician at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The study also identified stable X-ray use ranging from 36-43 percent of low back pain visits over time. This pattern suggests an opportunity to align practice with recent clinical guidelines advising selective use of imaging.

By highlighting trends in current care, the researchers hope their study will lead to continued efforts to improve the efficiency of low back pain care in emergency settings.

“We still have some progress to be made in finding ways to encourage appropriate use of X-rays for low back pain,” said Dr. Kim. “This is a hard problem to tackle, as the decision to order an X-ray is complex and driven by both clinician and patient factors.”

Registration Now Open for ACEP Accelerate

ACEP Accelerate brings together some of ACEP’s most respected courses and faculty in one dynamic location. Join us in San Diego and experience emergency medicine education at its best. Here’s the lineup: