1. [Prescription drug monitoring programs in the United States of America].
- Author
-
El Burai Félix S and Mack K
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Analgesics, Opioid poisoning, Analgesics, Opioid therapeutic use, Controlled Substances supply & distribution, Databases, Pharmaceutical legislation & jurisprudence, Drug Overdose mortality, Drug Overdose prevention & control, Drug Prescriptions statistics & numerical data, Drug Utilization, Drug and Narcotic Control legislation & jurisprudence, Drug and Narcotic Control methods, Drug and Narcotic Control trends, Female, Humans, Inappropriate Prescribing prevention & control, Inappropriate Prescribing statistics & numerical data, Male, Middle Aged, Prescription Drug Diversion prevention & control, Risk Factors, Risk-Taking, Substance-Related Disorders epidemiology, Substance-Related Disorders prevention & control, United States, Controlled Substances adverse effects, Drug and Narcotic Control organization & administration, Prescription Drugs adverse effects, Prescription Drugs therapeutic use
- Abstract
Since the late 1990s, the number of opioid analgesic overdose deaths has quadrupled in the United States of America (from 4 030 deaths in 1999 to 16 651 in 2010). The objectives of this article are to provide an overview of the problem of prescription drug overdose in the United States and to discuss actions that could help reduce the problem, with particular attention to the characteristics of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). These programs consist of state-level databases that monitor controlled substances. The information compiled in the databases is at the disposal of authorized persons (e.g., physicians, pharmacists, and other health-care providers) and may be used only for professional purposes. Suppliers can use such information to prevent interaction with other drugs or therapeutic duplication, or to identify drug-search behavior. Law enforcement agencies can use these programs to identify improper drug prescription or dispensing patterns, or drug diversion.
- Published
- 2014