The Prescription Drug War: Drug Monitoring Databases?

The Prescription Drug War: A monitoring database?

The Prescription Drug War: Drug Monitoring Databases?

The War on Drugs has taken a dramatic shift over the past decade. Yes, illegal substances such as marijuana and cocaine are still prevalent today, but the biggest shake-up in drug abuse comes from substances that are legally prescribed by a physician and filled by a local pharmacist. The culprit: prescription drugs.

According to current statistics, prescription drug addiction is up 430% in comparison to last decade's numbers. Even more alarming is that the amount of people being admitted to rehab has stayed virtually the same.

What is being done about it?

The biggest obstacle is tracking abuse. It is impossible for physicians to keep track on their patients behavior outside of their offices. Patients, therefore, can easily obtain multiple prescriptions from different doctors without the other even knowing. Without a way for physicians to communicate with each other, abuse has become prevalent.

What is the solution?

Although not a magic bullet, a growing discussion is to employ statewide databases that would track patient prescriptions. Physicians would be able to pull up patient information and check database entries made by other physicians - specifically prescribed medications. Any patient abusing a substance would be able to be identified and hopefully counseled. Surprisingly 37 of the 50 states already have a drug monitoring program - however utilization is low.

The complete article can be found from American Medical News - States consider requiring physicians to use drug-monitoring databases