Barriers to prescribing opioids
Quick View. June 16, 2008.
| Obstacle |
How great a barrier |
| Doctors are under scrutiny from regulators or law enforcement |
3.2 |
| Patients become tolerant of the drug |
3.0 |
| Patients become addicted |
3.0 |
| Patients get side effects that impair function |
2.9 |
| Doctors are under scrutiny from colleagues or administrators |
2.7 |
| Doctors do not know how to monitor therapy |
2.5 |
| Titration on dosing issues |
2.5 |
| Doctors do not know who could benefit |
2.3 |
| Drug-to-drug interaction |
2.3 |
| Patients have trouble with insurance |
2.3 |
| Patients have trouble finding a pharmacist to dispense |
1.8 |
Seven in 10 doctors agree that chronic noncancer pain is undertreated in the U.S.
Nearly half of 150 practicing primary care physicians surveyed said they used nonclinical considerations to determine whether to prescribe opioids to treat such pain. In a recent study by the American Pain Foundation, the doctors ranked regulatory and law enforcement scrutiny as the biggest barriers. Physicians were asked to rank the most significant impediments to safe and effective long-term opioid use in chronic noncancer pain patients on a scale of 1 (not an obstacle) to 4 (a great obstacle).
Source: "Opioid Utilization Study," American Pain Foundation, research conducted Oct. 4-24, 2007
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