PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Joachim O. Hero
AU  - Caitlin McMurtry
AU  - John Benson
AU  - Robert Blendon
TI  - Discussing Opioid Risks With Patients to Reduce Misuse and Abuse: Evidence From 2 Surveys
AID  - 10.1370/afm.1994
DP  - 2016 Nov 01
TA  - The Annals of Family Medicine
PG  - 575--577
VI  - 14
IP  - 6
4099  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/14/6/575.short
4100  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/14/6/575.full
SO  - Ann Fam Med2016 Nov 01; 14
AB  - We used 2 population-representative surveys to evaluate the recommendation from recent clinical guidelines for prescribing opioid analgesics that physicians discuss the risk of long-term use disorders with patients. In nationally representative data we observed a 60% lower rate, after adjustment for covariates, in a self-reported saving of pills among respondents who say they talked with their physicians about the risks of prescription painkiller addiction (67% lower rate without adjustment). These findings suggest patient education efforts, as currently practiced in the United States, may have positive behavioral consequences that could lower the risks of prescription painkiller abuse. Future research should test these associations under controlled settings.