title: Concern about the Expanding Prescription Drug Epidemic: A Survey of Licensed Prescribers and Dispensers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prescription drug misuse and abuse has reached epidemic levels in the U.S., and stands as a leading cause of death. As the primary gatekeepers to the medications contributing to this epidemic, it is critical to understand the views of licensed health care professionals.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we examine health care professionals' concern regarding prescription drug abuse in their communities and the impact their concern has had on their prescribing and dispensing practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online survey of licensed health care providers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Conducted in Indiana.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a state-wide evaluation of Indiana's prescription drug monitoring program. The questionnaire asked respondents how concerned they were about prescription drug abuse in their community. Variation in the level of concern was examined using ordinary least squares regression and information about the respondents' demographic background and clinical experience. In addition, we used logistic regression to examine whether concern was associated with changing prescribing and/or dispensing behavior.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of providers indicated they were "moderately" or "extremely concerned" about prescription drug abuse in their communities. The level of concern, however, varied significantly by profession, with pharmacists, physicians, nurse practitioners/physician assistants being more concerned than dentists. Additional analyses indicate that providers with higher levels of concern were those who also reported recently changing their prescribing and/or dispensing behavior.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The voluntary nature and geographical focus of the study limits the generalizability of the findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Concern about prescription drug abuse is generally high across the major health care professions; however, a significant minority of providers, particularly among dentists, expressed little or no concern about the epidemic. Increasing health care providers' general level of concern about prescription drug abuse may be an effective public health tool for encouraging voluntary reductions in prescribing and/or dispensing controlled substances.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: R Eric
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Nia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Neal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Carnes
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Harold E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Kooreman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000523:psychology; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology; D063487:Prescription Drug Misuse / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs