Physicians, pharmacists and medication supply chain organizations agree: It is crucial to work together to prevent the misuse and diversion of controlled substances while simultaneously ensuring access to medicines for patients with legitimate needs. Learn about the key areas in prescribing and dispensing challenges.
The American Medical Association and16 other organizations representing physicians, pharmacists, and supply chains developed a consensus document (PDF) highlighting the challenges of prescribing and dispensing medicines such as opioids.
The document provides five key areas where the stakeholder organizations sought to better understand and describe the challenges they each face:
- There is widespread recognition that that the misuse and abuse of prescription medications has emerged as a growing public health problem.
- Physicians, pharmacists and other key stakeholders each play an important role in addressing prescription drug abuse.
- The legal requirements for each stakeholder sometimes are confusing and not understood by other groups.
- There are factors that are more indicative of substance abuse or diversion, i.e. “red flags.”
- There also are other aberrant medication-related behaviors and factors potentially indicative of substance abuse or diversion.
“Physicians, pharmacists and supply chain managers share a responsibility to reduce the abuse of medicines and the diversion of controlled substances that lead to accidental deaths,” said Speaker of the AMA’s House of Delegates Andrew W. Gurman, MD. “By educating everyone involved in prescribing and dispensing opioids about the signs that may indicate that diversion, misuse or abuse are occurring, we’re hoping to improve the health of the nation.”
While the document is not intended to be construed as establishing any standards of care, it does provide information that can serve as a reminder that health care practitioners must comply with state and federal laws and regulations and use their professional judgment when confronted with aberrant patient behaviors in regard to controlled substance prescriptions.
Read more about AMA advocacy and collaboration with other organizations on this topic.
