Opioid analgesics are among the most effective medications for pain management but are associated with serious and increasing public health problems, including abuse, addiction, and death from overdose. Currently, there is an opioid epidemic in the United States with the rate of prescription opioid-related overdose deaths quadrupling over the last 15 years. Pediatric patients are particularly vulnerable to the devastating consequences of opioid misuse. Adolescents who are prescribed opioids are at a higher risk for abusing illicit drugs later in life. Clinicians managing pediatric pain must account for such issues while still delivering effective analgesia to young patients who suffer from both acute and chronic pain.

Epidemiology and Public Health Implications of the Opioid Crisis.- The Impact of the Opioid Crisis on Neonates, Children, and Adolescents .- Legal Issues in Pediatric Opioid Therapy.- The Impetus for Recognizing, Preventing and Treating Pain in the Pediatric Population .- Evidence-Based Guidelines for Opioid Therapy in Pediatrics.- Neonatal and Pediatric Pharmacology.- Predicting Opioid Responsiveness in Pediatric Patients.- Emerging Trends in Pediatric Opioid Prescribing Practices.- Improving post-operative prescribing in pediatric patients by surgeons.- Assessing and managing opioid-related side effects in children and adolescents.- Identifying and Treating Opioid Misuse in Pediatric Patients.- Pediatric Pain Assessment and Indications for Opioids.- Pharmacologic Approaches to Pediatric Acute Pain States.- Regional Anesthesia for Acute Pain Management.- Opioid Therapy for Pediatric Cancer Pain.- Biopsychosocial Approaches to Pediatric Chronic Pain Management.- Non-Opioid Pharmacotherapy for Treatment of Pediatric Chronic Pain.- Interventional Approaches to Pediatric Chronic Pain Management.- Complementary and Integrative Medicine for Pediatric Chronic Pain.