Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs—Lack of Effectiveness or a Call to Action?

Prescription opioid pain relievers play an essential role in improving the quality of life for millions of Americans each year. However, over the last decade, the legitimate use as well as the misuse and abuse of prescription opioids have increased dramatically. From 1997 to 2007, the milligram per person use of prescription opioids in the United States increased from 74 mg to 369 mg per person, an increase of 402% [1]. In addition, the health and economic consequences of opioid abuse are exacting a significant toll—with over five million Americans, 12 years of age and older, reporting nonmedical use of prescription opioids in 2009 [2]. From 2004 to 2008, there was a 111% increase in emergency room visits for misuse or abuse of prescription opioids [3], and this was paralleled with a fourfold increase in treatment admissions for abuse of opioids over the last decade [4]. Most alarming is a nearly 300% increase in opioid-related deaths between 1999 and 2007 [5]. Prescription drug abuse is a public health epidemic, and comprehensive policies must be developed to minimize abuse while ensuring legitimate access to these medications. Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are a promising tool to assist health care providers in clinical decision-making and to identify patients who may be misusing or abusing prescription drugs. Although studies have shown that PDMPs shorten investigation times [6] and reduce the supply of certain Schedule II controlled …