Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse

Improve Monitoring and Surveillance

Monitoring refers to a continuous, dynamic process of data collection and analysis. Surveillance is an extension of monitoring in which collected data is utilized and the appropriate steps are taken to address the issue. Improved monitoring and surveillance includes greater awareness and use of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) by physicians, pharmacists, law enforcement agencies, and others. If used properly, PDMPs are one tool to help reduce prescription drug misuse, abuse, and diversion. State licensing boards can also adopt rules to establish standards and protocols in the prescribing of controlled substances.

Provider & Clinical Resources
- Prescription History of Emergency Department Patients Prescribed Opioids
  The top decile of patients averaged more than two prescriptions per month over the six months prior to ED visit, written by more than 6 different prescribers.
- Prescription Monitoring Programs: Considerations for Policymakers
  PDMPs remain under-utilized, with most states reporting approximately one-third or fewer of authorized prescribers and dispensers using them.
- Vital Signs: Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and Other Interventions to Combat Prescription Opioid Abuse
  Findings from the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) with commentary on current recommendations and policies for curtailing nonmedical use of opioid pain relievers.
- A Model to Identify Patients at Risk for Prescription Opioid Abuse, Dependence, and Misuse
  A study using medical and administrative claims data to identify and analyze patient characteristics and behavior associated with opioid abuse.
- See Provider & Clinical Resources for all Intervention types »
Community Resources
- The Role of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs in Protecting Children and Youth
  An archived webinar that highlights the benefits of using PDMPs to monitor the use and abuse of controlled substances by youth.
- The North Carolina Controlled Substances Reporting System: A Valuable Tool for Combating Prescription Drug Misuse
  Results from an evaluation completed by the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and recommendations for improving the North Carolina Controlled Substances Reporting System.
- RxStat: Opioid Analgesic Use and Misuse in New York City
  The Mayor’s Task Force on Prescription Painkiller Abuse created RxStat to provide a “bird’s eye view” of the problem of prescription opioid abuse in New York City.
- Prescription Opioid Usage and Abuse Relationships: An Evaluation of State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Efficacy
  Although it is imperative that physicians continue to legitimately prescribe opioids to treat chronic pain, it is important to acknowledge the rise in prescription opioid abuse. Surveillance systems such as PDMPs can successfully deter prescription opioid diversion and abuse. This study supports the efficacy of PDMPs.
- See Community Resources for all Intervention types »
Policy Resources
- Final Report: North Carolina Needs to Strengthen Its System for Monitoring and Preventing the Abuse of Prescribed Controlled Substances
  The Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee directed the Program Evaluation Division to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of North Carolina's system for monitoring and preventing the abuse of prescribed controlled substances.
- Examining How State Substance Abuse Agencies Use Data to Manage Systems
  This 11-state case study is intended to develop an understanding of how states manage their SUD service systems through data utilization.
- Policy Brief: Prescription Monitoring Programs
  As PDMPs have developed, a number of key features have emerged as considerations for policymakers intent on optimizing their PDMPs.
- Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: Tools for Education, Epidemiological Surveillance, Prevention, and Early Intervention
  To encourage wider use of PDMPs in public health, this issue brief provides state public health agencies with fundamental information on PDMPs and how they may be used to improve public health, particularly in education, surveillance, prevention, and early intervention.
- Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: An Assessment of the Evidence for Best Practices
  Background on PDMPs and a conceptual framework for assessing effectiveness, and a discussion of evidence that presents best practices for PDMP implementation and use.
- Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs - A Response to Doctor Shopping: Purpose, Effectiveness and Directions for Future Research
  Literature review analyzing four themes, including: (1) the effect of PDMPs on prescribing practices and the effect of PDMPs on the public, (2) the effect of PDMPs on prescribing practices and multiple provider episodes, (3) the effect of PDMPs on prescribing practices and characteristics of patients, and (4) health care professionals’ perspectives on PDMPs.
- Technical Assistance Guide No. 04-13 Funding Options for Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs
  A guide on funding options to help PDMPs remain operational in a time of state budget cuts.
- Do Prescription Monitoring Programs Impact State Trends in Opioid Abuse and Misuse?
  Results from this study support an association between PDMPs and mitigated opioid abuse and misuse trends. Without a PDMP in place, Poison Center intentional exposures increased 1.9% per quarter. Opioid treatment admissions increase 4.9% per quarter in states without a PDMP.
- See Policy Resources for all Intervention types »
Special Populations Resources
- The Role of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs in Protecting Children and Youth
  An archived webinar that highlights the benefits of using PDMPs to monitor the use and abuse of controlled substances by youth.
- See Special Populations Resources for all Intervention types »

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