Just 20 percent of female patients who required pain medication after surgery were screened for substance-use disorder, according to a poll released by Morning Consult and Shatterproof.
Shatterproof, a nonprofit that aims to end the devastation addiction causes families, and research technology firm Morning Consult surveyed U.S. women ages 25 to 59.
Four poll findings:
1. The majority (67 percent) of women believe opioid alternatives are better for patients' physical health. Sixty-eight percent believe these alternatives are better for patients' mental health.
2. Only 3 in 10 women said their healthcare providers informed them of nonaddictive opioid alternatives before they received an opioid prescription.
3. Less than one-fifth — 17 percent — of women were screened for substance-use disorder at their last medical appointment.
4. Most women (84 percent) said they support improving patient access to alternative options to curb the risk of addiction.