Prescription drug monitoring programs and drug overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines and prescription opioids

The misuse of prescription opioids has become a serious epidemic in the United States. In response, states have implemented Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), which record a patient’s opioid prescribing history. While few providers participated in early systems, states have recently begun to require providers to access the PDMP under certain circumstances. We find that “must access” PDMPs significantly reduce measures of misuse in Medicare Part D. In contrast, we find that PDMPs without such provisions have no effect. We find stronger effects when providers are required to access the PDMP under broad circumstances, not only when they are suspicious. (JEL H75, I11, I12, I18)

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Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and Death Rates from Drug Overdose

Pain Medicine ◽

10.1111/j.1526-4637.2011.01062.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 747-754 ◽

Cited By ~ 228

Author(s):

Leonard J. Paulozzi ◽

Edwin M. Kilbourne ◽

Hema A. Desai

Keyword(s):

Prescription Drug ◽

Drug Overdose ◽

Drug Monitoring ◽

Death Rates ◽

Monitoring Programs ◽

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs

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The effectiveness of prescription drug monitoring programs at reducing opioid-related harms and consequences: a systematic review

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-019-4642-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Emily Rhodes ◽

Maria Wilson ◽

Alysia Robinson ◽

Jill A. Hayden ◽

Mark Asbridge

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Prescription Drug ◽

Drug Monitoring ◽

Implementation Outcomes ◽

Monitoring Programs ◽

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs ◽

Care Outcomes ◽

Overdose Deaths

Abstract Background In order to address the opioid crisis in North America, many regions have adopted preventative strategies, such as prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). PDMPs aim to increase patient safety by certifying that opioids are prescribed in appropriate quantities. We aimed to synthesize the literature on changes in opioid-related harms and consequences, an important measure of PDMP effectiveness. Methods We completed a systematic review. We conducted a narrative synthesis of opioid-related harms and consequences from PDMP implementation. Outcomes were grouped into categories by theme: opioid dependence, opioid-related care outcomes, opioid-related adverse events, and opioid-related legal and crime outcomes. Results We included a total of 22 studies (49 PDMPs) in our review. Two studies reported on illicit and problematic use but found no significant associations with PDMP status. Eight studies examined the association between PDMP status and opioid-related care outcomes, of which two found that treatment admissions for prescriptions opioids were lower in states with PDMP programs (p < 0.05). Of the thirteen studies that reported on opioid-related adverse events, two found significant (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05) but conflicting results with one finding a decrease in opioid-related overdose deaths after PDMP implementation and the other an increase. Lastly, two studies found no statistically significant association between PDMP status and opioid-related legal and crime outcomes (crime rates, identification of potential dealers, and diversion). Conclusion Our study found limited evidence to support overall associations between PDMPs and reductions in opioid-related consequences. However, this should not detract from the value of PDMPs’ larger role of improving opioid prescribing.

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