PDMP & Opioid Abuse News
PDMP & Opioid Abuse News
- World Drug Abuse day today 27 Jun 2017 06:22 Digatha News The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board will mark the National Commemoration of the “International Day against Drug Abuse and illicit Trafficking’ today at the BMICH from 4.45 pm to 6.00 pm under the guidance of Minister of Law & Order and Southern …
- Drug Abuse Worrying Trend: Reddy 27 Jun 2017 06:11 Fiji Sun Year One and Two students of Kalabu Primary School in Nasinu during the launch of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26, 2017. Photo: Kathrin Krishna Mahendra Reddy says drug abuse is a worrying trend that is slowly …
- Exile Tibetans mark International Day against Drug abuse 27 Jun 2017 05:55 Phayul.com By Tenzin Monlam DHARAMSHALA, June 26: The Department of Health of the exile Tibetan administration in association with Kunphen Center and Dharamshala Tibetan Settlement Office organized an open marathon to raise awareness against growing number of drug …
- International Day Against Drug Abuse Illicit Trafficking 2017 Observed 27 Jun 2017 05:05 E-Pao.net International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking 2017 observed 26 June 2017 International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking 2017 observed on June 26 2017 With the theme “Listen First – Listening to Children and Youth is the …
- ‘Dollarisation fuelling drug abuse’ 27 Jun 2017 04:49 Newsday HEALTH experts have claimed that the adoption of the United States dollar in 2009 has caused a spike in drug abuse, as Zimbabwe was no longer just a transit route for the illegal substances, but now provided a ready market with hard currency. By Tinotenda …
- With Narcan available in 20 SC counties, is it enough to fight opioid abuse? 27 Jun 2017 03:25 WIS KERSHAW COUNTY, SC (WIS) - Thousands of law enforcement officers are now carrying Narcan, a drug that's used to reverse an overdose from opioids. And within the next 5 years, the state will have received $3.2 million worth of Narcan for a problem that …
- With Narcan available in 20 SC counties, is it enough to combat opioid abuse? 27 Jun 2017 02:41 WIS
- Opioid abuse shaping up to be major issue in 2018 gubernatorial race 27 Jun 2017 01:24 WTOL.com BOWLING GREEN, OH (WTOL) - As the 2018 Ohio gubernatorial election heats up, the debate on how best to deal with the opioid epidemic is also heating up. “The challenges are the opiate problem. That's a huge, huge challenge,” said Ohio Attorney General …
- United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 27 Jun 2017 01:15 Vox Details Written by Vox Editor Category: Local Published: 26 June 2017 June 26th marks the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Government has said it remains resolutely committed to addressing the negative …
- Drug abuse awareness day stresses rehabilitation over punishment 27 Jun 2017 00:34 Macau Daily Times Honorary guests release baloons at the event to raise awareness across the city Yesterday was the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, as decreed by the United Nations. Seeking to raise awareness of the societal problems …
Follow Prescription Advisory
In 2012, both New York and Tennessee required prescribers to check their state’s PDMP before prescribing painkillers.
The results one year later:
New York realized a 75% drop and Tennessee a 36% drop in patients who were seeing multiple prescribers to obtain the same drugs.
Thirteen multi-state PDMP projects were sponsored in 2012-13. While providers indicated that PDMPs gave them more confidence for prescribing pain medication, the study concluded that the easier the data is to obtain, the more they will be used, and the safer the practice can be.
Use of a state PDMP may help identify patients who are at high risk for diversion or doctor shopping… To quantify the effects of PDMPs, studies were conducted of ED providers who cared for adult patients with pain. Of the patients with complete data in one study, information from the state’s PDMP System altered prescribing practice in 41%.
Recommendations for full use of PDMP include:
- PDMPs can be effective clinical tools in medication management involving controlled substances.
- PDMPs should be available for clinicians across state boundaries.
- Every prescribing clinician should be familiar with the process of accessing and utilizing information from PDMP’s so that they can incorporate this information in their practices.
The use of PDMPs…is helping to reduce misuse of prescription drugs.
Whenever possible, orthopaedic surgeons should request and review old medical records and speak with the patient’s primary physician about past medication problems. Currently, states have Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs designed to assist law enforcement in the identification of doctor shoppers; these data are also accessible to physicians.
The AAOS recommends the following tools, which have been shown to significantly reduce medication errors:
- computerized physician order entry
- computerized decision support systems
- computerized monitoring of adverse drug events
- pharmacist-assisted rounds
- high-risk drug protocols
Overdose deaths are “just the tip of the iceberg”: that for every death there are many more hospital treatment admissions, emergency room visits, people who abuse or are dependent on prescription drugs and nonmedical users.
Always check the medical record… and a prescription drug monitoring database.
A study was conducted to estimate the societal costs of prescription opioid abuse, dependence, and misuse in the United States. Costs were grouped into three categories: health care, workplace, and criminal justice.
The results: Total US societal costs of prescription opioid abuse were estimated at $55.7 billion in 2007 (USD in 2009). Workplace costs accounted for $25.6 billion, health care costs accounted for $25.0 billion, and criminal justice costs accounted for $5.1 billion. Workplace costs were driven by lost earnings from premature death ($11.2 billion) and reduced compensation/lost employment ($7.9 billion).
Conclusions: The costs of prescription opioid abuse represent a substantial and growing economic burden for the society. The increasing prevalence of abuse suggests an even greater societal burden in the future.
You’re not only reducing the supply [of pain medications] for those who use them inappropriately, but also for those in need.
Recommendations for full use of PDMP include:
- PDMPs can be effective clinical tools in medication management involving controlled substances.
- PDMPs should be available for clinicians across state boundaries.
- Every prescribing clinician should be familiar with the process of accessing and utilizing information from PDMP’s so that they can incorporate this information in their practices.
Effective monitoring systems [PDMPs] will augment clinical judgment, provide evidence of misuse, and facilitate prescription of the most appropriate analgesic for the situation…The Emergency Department is regarded as the nation’s safety net…the last bastion of around-the-clock access to care … Unfortunately, some of the solutions to opioid misuse [limiting ED physicians to 3-day opioid prescriptions] preempts judgments from trained emergency medical providers.
Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are now active in most states to assist clinicians in identifying potential controlled drug misuse, diversion, or excessive prescribing. Little is still known about the ways in which they are incorporated into workflow and clinical decision making, what barriers continue to exist, and how clinicians are sharing PDMP results with their patients.
Design
Qualitative data were collected through online focus groups and telephone interviews.Setting
Clinicians from pain management, emergency and family medicine, psychiatry/behavioral health, rehabilitation medicine, internal medicine and dentistry participated.Patients
Thirty-five clinicians from nine states participated.Methods
We conducted two online focus groups and seven telephone interviews. A multidisciplinary team then used a grounded theory approach coupled with an immersion–crystallization strategy for identifying key themes in the resulting transcripts.Results
Some participants, mainly from pain clinics, reported checking the PDMP with every patient, every time. Others checked only for new patients, for new opioid prescriptions, or for patients for whom they suspected abuse. Participants described varied approaches to sharing PDMP information with patients, including openly discussing potential addiction or safety concerns, avoiding discussion altogether, and approaching discussion confrontationally. Participants described patient anger or denial as a common response and noted the role of patient satisfaction surveys as an influence on prescribing.Conclusion
Routines for accessing PDMP data and how clinicians respond to it vary widely. As PDMP use becomes more widespread, it will be important to understand what approaches are most effective for identifying and addressing unsafe medication use.
An improved PDMP … with accurate and timely data analysis should be regarded as the cornerstone of our collective efforts to address prescription drug abuse.
A study was conducted to estimate the societal costs of prescription opioid abuse, dependence, and misuse in the United States. Costs were grouped into three categories: health care, workplace, and criminal justice.
The results: Total US societal costs of prescription opioid abuse were estimated at $55.7 billion in 2007 (USD in 2009). Workplace costs accounted for $25.6 billion, health care costs accounted for $25.0 billion, and criminal justice costs accounted for $5.1 billion. Workplace costs were driven by lost earnings from premature death ($11.2 billion) and reduced compensation/lost employment ($7.9 billion).
Conclusions: The costs of prescription opioid abuse represent a substantial and growing economic burden for the society. The increasing prevalence of abuse suggests an even greater societal burden in the future.
The AAOS recommends the following tools, which have been shown to significantly reduce medication errors:
- computerized physician order entry
- computerized decision support systems
- computerized monitoring of adverse drug events
- pharmacist-assisted rounds
- high-risk drug protocols
Overdose deaths are “just the tip of the iceberg”: that for every death there are many more hospital treatment admissions, emergency room visits, people who abuse or are dependent on prescription drugs and nonmedical users.
Attention to patterns of prescription requests and the prescribing of opioids as part of an ongoing relationship between a patient and a healthcare provider can decrease the risk of diversion. Periodic review of state PDMP, where available, is also a useful tool to monitor compliance. Evaluation should initially include…a drug history… Documentation is essential.
Prescribing or dispensing to an abuser, diverter, misuser or ‘doctor shopper’ puts the provider, their practice and or institution, as well as the patients at high risk.
Although relieving pain and reducing suffering are primary emergency physician responsibilities, there is a concurrent duty to limit the personal and societal harm that can result from prescription drug misuse and abuse.
Always check the medical record… and a prescription drug monitoring database.
Whenever possible, orthopaedic surgeons should request and review old medical records and speak with the patient’s primary physician about past medication problems. Currently, states have Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs designed to assist law enforcement in the identification of doctor shoppers; these data are also accessible to physicians.