ORT

Q: Palliative care service recommended to administer Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) to a patient getting transferred to long term care from ICU after trauma. What is ORT and its components?



Answer: Clinical instruments have been developed to identify patients for potential risk from misuse of prescribed opioids. ORT is a very simple questionnaire on five categories 

1.  family history of substance use disorder 
2. personal history of substance use disorder 
3. age 
4. history of preadolescent sexual abuse, and 
5.  psychologic disease  

- Low risk: 0 to 3
- Moderate risk: 4 to 7
- High risk: ≥8

  #pharmacology



Reference:

Webster LR, Webster RM. Predicting aberrant behaviors in opioid-treated patients: preliminary validation of the Opioid Risk Tool. Pain Med 2005; 6:432.