TY - JOUR 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 SP - 575 LP - 577 DO - 10.1370/afm.1994 VL - 14 IS - 6 AU - Joachim O. Hero AU - Caitlin McMurtry AU - John Benson AU - Robert Blendon Y1 - 2016/11/01 UR - http://www.annfammed.org/content/14/6/575.abstract N2 - 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. ER -