In the first week of August 2017, Dr. Jerome Adams was confirmed as Surgeon General as nominated by President Donald Trump. By training, Dr. Adams is an anesthesiologist who also served as the Indiana state health commissioner. He pledged to tackle the US’s opioid epidemic stating, “The addictive properties of prescription opioids is a scourge in America and it must be stopped.”
Physicians have strong opinions about what issues the “The doctor of the US”—as the office has been dubbed for decades—should tackle. In a recent poll conducted by Platform Q Health, approximately 45% of healthcare providers felt that the Surgeon General’s top priority should be resourcing addiction recovery and mental health.
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Source: Adapted from material available from Platform Q
Resourcing Addiction Recovery and Mental Health
In the US currently, more than 6 out of 10 drug overdose deaths involve an opioid. In fact, 91 Americans die every day as a result of opioids (including both prescription medication and heroin). The CDC concluded that the increased number of opioid-related deaths over the past 15 years is driven by prescriptions for opioid medications. In a New York Times data analysis, drug overdose deaths rose 19% from 2015 through 2016. Preliminary analysis shows that rate is expected to jump even higher in 2017.
Previous Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a landmark study addressing drug and alcohol addiction—the first time in US history. In his 400-page report, he concluded that 20.8 million Americans suffer a substance use disorder. However, only 10% of these people receive any treatment.
“Substance use disorders represent one of the most pressing public health crises of our time,” the report (by Murthy) says. “For far too long, too many in our country have viewed addiction as a moral failing. This unfortunate stigma has created an added burden of shame that has made people with substance use disorders less likely to come forward and seek help.”
Championing Evidence-Based Patient Education and Fighting Fake Medical News
Approximately 20% of respondents in the PQ Health poll felt the top priority should be fighting fake medical news and providing evidence-based patient information. Patients are increasingly looking to the internet and social media to find medical information. Many of these sites are just gimmicks to sell products or push a certain agenda. There is no regulation over who gives medical information, and it does not have to prove to be evidence-based. Clearly, some standards need to be set to ensure patients are accessing the most up-to-date and accurate health information.
Promoting Antibiotic Stewardship
Approximately 18% of respondents felt promoting antibiotics should be a top priority of the office of the Surgeon General. The CDC reported that every year in the US, approximately 2 million people become infected with a bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics. More than 23,000 people will die of these infections. Still others die from conditions that were complicated by antibiotic-resistant infections.
Most experts attribute the rise of antibiotic resistance to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics. The increase of antibiotic resistance is not just a US-based issue, but a global phenomena that is threatening our ability to fight bacterial infections. The use of antibiotics first started in 1928 with the discovery of penicillin by Sir Alexander Fleming. Millions of lives have been saved through their use since that time. Unfortunately, we have seen antibiotic resistance to nearly every known antibiotic. In fact, Fleming first raised the warning about the overuse of antibiotics in 1945.
“Antibiotics are now a limited resource, there are currently fewer effective antibiotics available for certain health-care-associated infections than in the previous decade, and the threat of antibiotic resistance is real.”
-Boris D. Lushniak, MD, MPH, RADM, U.S. Public Health Service Acting Surgeon General
Reemphasizing Vaccinations
Approximately 17% of the poll respondents felt that reemphasizing vaccines should be the top priority. In our society, we have seen the effects of the anti-vaxxer propaganda and how spreading myths/fake news can result in harm when children don’t receive the vaccines they need. Our previous Surgeon General placed significant emphasis on preventing diseases and greatly encouraged people to receive vaccines. In fact, he met with Sesame Street icon, Elmo in March 2015 and filmed a public safety announcement on the safety and efficacy of vaccines. He stated the internet was a tool that, while good at amplifying good information, also amplifies unsound information, making it particularly challenging to spread reliable information. Of course, this issue is directly in line with championing evidence-based patient education and fighting fake medical news.
The US, as well as the rest of the world, is now facing public health concerns that we have never faced before. We now have technology that disseminates information quickly and vastly. We now have the ability to reach around the globe to help others. Contrarily, inaccurate information can be a plague to the health of others. The Surgeon General is in a unique position to advise leaders and the public alike about the most pressing health issues of our times. While one may have an opinion as to which is the most threatening, perhaps they are all equally important, and national strategies need to be in place to address each area over the long term.
Access the full Platform Q Health poll results!
Linda Girgis
