RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Discussing Opioid Risks With Patients to Reduce Misuse and Abuse: Evidence From 2 Surveys
JF The Annals of Family Medicine
JO Ann Fam Med
FD American Academy of Family Physicians
SP 575
OP 577
DO 10.1370/afm.1994
VO 14
IS 6
A1 Joachim O. Hero
A1 Caitlin McMurtry
A1 John Benson
A1 Robert Blendon
YR 2016
UL http://www.annfammed.org/content/14/6/575.abstract
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.