Opioid-related structural stigma in chronic pain management: An interdisciplinary investigation.

Given the dramatic increase in opioid prescription and associated health risks for patients, the Belgian healthcare system is developing and implementing guidelines to revise opioid use in clinical settings. However, although these policies have managed to reduce opioid use and related risks in the US, an unintended consequence has been that the use of opioids, even in strictly monitored clinical settings, has become highly stigmatized, which appears to contribute to less effective pain management and reduced patient wellbeing. However, fundamental research into the conceptualisation of opioid-related stigma and its impact on patients, providers and pain care, is lacking. The proposed project will aim to conceptualize and study opioid-related stigmatization from an interdisciplinary perspective, while focusing on current evolutions in opioid use in Belgian healthcare as a case study.