Patients still fuzzy about opioid medications

NPS MedicineWise has released a video to help educate patients after a survey shows only half know morphine is an opioid

Many patients still have misconceptions about opioids, including having trouble identifying exactly which drugs fall under the umbrella, according to a new survey.

The NPS MedicineWise study shows only half (56%) of more than 1000 Australians surveyed could correctly identify morphine as an opioid.

A similar number identified oxycodone (51%) and codeine (49%) as opioids.

Just one in four correctly identified tramadol (27%) and fentanyl (26%) as opioids, revealed the survey that was carried out in November 2019.