Objectives In March 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain , a set of voluntary recommendations for initiating and managing opioid treatment in the ambulatory setting. This scoping review examined guideline effects on patients, providers and health systems.
Methods A scoping review was conducted with a preregistered protocol. Comprehensive searches of PubMed, Embase and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature were conducted in April 2025.
Reports published between 2016 and 2025 that explored the effects of the CDC guideline were included. No restrictions on language or country of study origin were applied, though all retrieved reports were published in the USA and in English.
Two authors independently screened titles, abstracts and full-text reports. Data were extracted by healthcare setting, study aims and design, sample size, study population, participant characteristics and study findings and outcomes.
Reports were characterised as empirical studies that evaluated guideline effects or implementation studies that assessed uptake. Study findings were presented descriptively and by evidence maps.
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 03 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on Effects of the 2016 CDC opioid prescribing guideline: a scoping review.
Review the original article for the full source wording and details.