title: Discussing Opioid Risks With Patients to Reduce Misuse and Abuse: Evidence From 2 Surveys.
abstract: We used 2 population-representative surveys to evaluate the recommendation from recent clinical guidelines for prescribing opioid analgesics that physicians discuss the risk of long-term use disorders with patients. In nationally representative data we observed a 60% lower rate, after adjustment for covariates, in a self-reported saving of pills among respondents who say they talked with their physicians about the risks of prescription painkiller addiction (67% lower rate without adjustment). These findings suggest patient education efforts, as currently practiced in the United States, may have positive behavioral consequences that could lower the risks of prescription painkiller abuse. Future research should test these associations under controlled settings.
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Initiative in Health Policy, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts Hero@fas.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Joachim O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Hero
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Caitlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McMurtry
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benson
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blendon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003376:Counseling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid
keywords: best practices; clinical practice guideline; communication; opiate addiction; substance abuse; survey research