Using urine drug testing to support healthy boundaries in clinical care

Risk management is first and foremost about protecting patients. This article will examine risk management in general, and urine drug testing (UDT) in particular, as core constituents in an effective, comprehensive risk management strategy. The article will explore UDT as a tool to help practitioners and patients make better choices in the clinical management of chronic pain. How one makes these difficult clinical decisions based on UDT results as well common barriers encountered in conducting patient-centered UDT will also be examined.

Download Full-text

Urine Drug Testing of Chronic Pain Patients. II. Prevalence Patterns of Prescription Opiates and Metabolites

Journal of Analytical Toxicology ◽

10.1093/jat/34.1.32 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 32-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Rebecca Heltsley ◽

Anne Zichterman ◽

David L. Black ◽

Beverly Cawthon ◽

Tim Robert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Drug Testing ◽

Chronic Pain Patients ◽

Urine Drug Testing ◽

Urine Drug ◽

Pain Patients

Download Full-text

PSY8 IMPORTANCE OF ROUTINE URINE DRUG TESTING IN THE CHRONIC PAIN PATIENT POPULATION

Value in Health ◽

10.1016/s1098-3015(10)73718-9 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. A131

Author(s):

JE Couto ◽

HL Leider ◽

M Romney ◽

NI Goldfarb

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Patient Population ◽

Drug Testing ◽

Chronic Pain Patient ◽

Pain Patient ◽

Urine Drug Testing ◽

Urine Drug

Download Full-text

Repeated Quantitative Urine Toxicology Analysis May Improve Chronic Pain Patient Compliance with Opioid Therapy

January 2018 - Pain Physician ◽

10.36076/ppj.2017.s145 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (20;2) ◽

pp. s135-s145 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Nebojsa Nick Knezevic

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Pain Management ◽

Retrospective Analysis ◽

Drug Testing ◽

Illicit Drugs ◽

Opioid Therapy ◽

Urine Toxicology ◽

Urine Drug Testing ◽

Urine Drug ◽

Improve Compliance

Background: Even though serious efforts have been undertaken by different medical societies to reduce opioid use for treating chronic benign pain, many Americans continue to seek pain relief through opioid consumption. Assuring compliance of these patients may be a difficult aspect of proper management even with regular behavioral monitoring. Objective: The purpose of this study was to accurately assess the compliance of chronic opioidconsuming patients in an outpatient setting and evaluate if utilizing repeated urine drug testing (UDT) could improve compliance. Study Design: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. Setting: Outpatient pain management clinic. Methods: After Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, a retrospective analysis of data for 500 patients was conducted. We included patients who were aged 18 years and older who were treated with opioid analgesic medication for chronic pain. Patients were asked to provide supervised urine toxicology specimens during their regular clinic visits, and were asked to do so without prior notification. The specimens were sent to an external laboratory for quantitative testing using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results: Three hundred and eighty-six (77.2%) patients were compliant with prescribed medications and did not use any illicit drugs or undeclared medications. Forty-one (8.2%) patients tested positive for opioid medication(s) that were not prescribed in our clinic; 8 (1.6%) of the patients were positive for medication that was not prescribed by any physician and was not present in the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program; 5 (1%) patients tested negative for prescribed opioids; and 60 (12%) patients were positive for illicit drugs (8.6% marijuana, 3.2% cocaine, 0.2% heroin). Repeated UDTs following education and disclosure, showed 49 of the 77 patients (63.6%) had improved compliance. Limitations: This was a single-site study and we normalized concentrations of opioids in urine with creatinine levels while specific gravity normalization was not used. Conclusions: Our results showed that repeated UDT can improve compliance of patients on opioid medications and can improve overall pain management. We believe UDT testing should be used as an important adjunctive tool to help guide clinical decision-making regarding opioid therapy, potentially increasing future quality of care. Key words: Urine toxicology analysis, chronic pain, opioids, compliance, pain management, urine drug testing, urine drug screening

Download Full-text

Urine Drug Testing: Current Recommendations and Best Practices

January 2018 - Pain Physician ◽

10.36076/ppj.2012/15/es119 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3S;15 (3S;7) ◽

pp. ES119-ES133

Author(s):

Allen W. Burton

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Best Practices ◽

Drug Testing ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Treatment Plan ◽

Management Strategies ◽

The United States ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Urine Drug Testing ◽

Urine Drug

Background: The precise role of urine drug testing (UDT) in the practice of pain medicine is currently being defined. Confusion exists as to best practices, and even to what constitutes standard of care. A member survey by our state pain society revealed variability in practice and a lack of consensus. Objective: The authors sought to further clarify the importance of routine UDT as an important part of an overall treatment plan that includes chronic opioid prescribing. Further, we wish to clarify best practices based on consensus and data where available. Methods: A 20-item membership survey was sent to Texas Pain Society members. A group of chronic pain experts from the Texas Pain Society undertook an effort to review the best practices in the literature. The rationale for current UDT practices is clarified, with risk management strategies outlined, and recommendations for UDT outlined in detail. A detailed insight into the limitations of point-of-care (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, test cups, test strips) versus the more sensitive and specific laboratory methods is provided. Limitations: Our membership survey was of a limited sample size in one geographic area in the United States and may not represent national patterns. Finally, there is limited data as to the efficacy of UDT practices in improving compliance and curtailing overall medication misuse. Conclusions: UDT must be done routinely as part of an overall best practice program in order to prescribe chronic opioid therapy. This program may include risk stratification; baseline and periodic UDT; behavioral monitoring; and prescription monitoring programs as the best available tools to monitor chronic opioid compliance. Key words: Urine drug screening, urine toxicology screening, urine drug testing, chronic pain, addiction, forensic testing

Download Full-text

Shorter drug testing intervals are associated with improved drug misuse rates

Journal of Opioid Management ◽

10.5055/jom.2020.0591 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 357-373

Author(s):

Jeff Gudin, MD ◽

Neel Mehta, MD ◽

F. Leland McClure, PhD ◽

Justin K. Niles, MA ◽

Harvey W. Kaufman, MD

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Drug Testing ◽

Drug Misuse ◽

Drug Adherence ◽

Potential Drug ◽

Serial Testing ◽

Urine Drug Testing ◽

Clinical Strategies ◽

Urine Drug ◽

Control And Prevention

Objective: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that clinicians prescribing opioids for chronic pain should consider at least annual urine drug testing (UDT). We evaluated whether shorter intervals for repeat UDT are associated with decreased rates of drug misuse.Design: Retrospective analysis of deidentified serial UDT and matched prescribing data.Setting: We analyzed Quest Diagnostics 2016-2017 UDT results from new patients being monitored for prescription drug adherence, in nonsubstance use disorder (SUD) treatment environments.Main Outcome Measures: Drug misuse was defined as the absence of a prescribed substance or the presence of a nonprescribed substance. Patients with ≥3 sets of the UDT results were included.Results: UDT results from 49,601 patients (148,803 specimens) were tested. Declines in misuse between the first and second UDT were highest for those tested at the shortest intervals: approximately weekly, 19 percent; monthly, 15 percent; bimonthly, 12 percent; quarterly, 9 percent; semiannually, 3 percent; misuse rates increased by 1 percent for patients tested annually. Declines in misuse were more pronounced for opioids than other drug groups. Substantial declines in positivity were noted for heroin (32 percent) and nonprescribed fentanyl (10 percent). Declines in misuse between the second and third UDT followed a similar pattern.Conclusions: UDT intervals of ≤ quarterly were associated with marked declines, but testing annually or semiannually was not associated with consistent decreases. Our findings suggest that clinical strategies that include serial testing conducted quarterly or sooner may be instrumental in decreasing drug misuse. Testing more frequently than “at least once annually” should be considered by clinicians monitoring potential drug misuse.

Download Full-text

FDA/DEA/PDMP/UDT: Alphabet soup or sensible and integrated risk management?

Journal of Opioid Management ◽

10.5055/jom.2015.0255 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Steven D. Passik, PhD ◽

Kenneth L. Kirsh, PhD ◽

Robert K. Twillman, PhD

Keyword(s):

Risk Management ◽

Drug Testing ◽

Clinical Decision Making ◽

Clinical Decision ◽

Management Approach ◽

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs ◽

Integrated Risk ◽

Urine Drug Testing ◽

Urine Drug ◽

Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass

Objective: Both prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) and urine drug testing (UDT) are recommended as parts of an ongoing risk management approach for controlled substance prescribing. The authors provide an editorial and commentary to discuss the unique contributions of each to promote better clinical decision making for prescribers.Design: A commentary is employed along with brief discussion comparing four states with an active PDMP in place to three states without an active PDMP as it relates back to findings on UDT in those states from a laboratory conducting liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.Conclusions: The commentary focuses on the place of both tools (UDT and PDMP) in risk management efforts. The argument is made that relying on a PDMP alone would lead to clinical decisions that may miss a great deal of problematic or aberrant behaviors.

Download Full-text