Drug testing in pain management

The federal urine drug testing program was initiated by President Ronald Reagan with a goal of testing federal employees who are involved in positions involving public safety. However, today, urine drug testing is used widely by both government and nongovernment employers with a goal of achieving a drug-free workplace. Many opioid analgesics are used in pain management but sometimes patients fake pin in order to get these drugs so that these drugs could be sold in the black market for profit. These drugs are monitored in urine of patients undergoing pain management in order to ensure compliance. Because a person may be denied prescription pain medication if suspected of noncompliance, special care must be taken to in interpreting drug testing results in a patient receiving prescription opioid. It is also possible that a patient enrolling in pain management may abuse a prescription opioid or another illicit drug. Therefore, drug testing in pain management is crucial to ensure that the patient is consuming the prescribed medicine properly.