Healthcare providers
As a healthcare provider, you may have mixed messages from patients, doctors and/or administrators about how to screen for, and address addiction issues. The recent spotlight on opiate addiction may have you concerned about how to effectively treat pain in your patients. The following information is intended to assist you in making clinically appropriate decisions with regard to quality patient care.
Screening and Brief Intervention
Does your office utilize universal screenings to check for substance abuse issues? Does your screening tool include assessment of prescription drug abuse? Since many people do not associate the misuse of prescription medications as illegal, or abuse, many questions about "illegal drugs" may not result in accurate answers regarding the patient's current use of prescription medications.
Additional questions for medical professionals to ask patients about prescription drug use
• Are you taking any prescription drugs?
• Where do you get them?
• Do you take them more often than prescribed? (Anything beyond the prescribed number is too much.)
• If so, how many more than prescribed?
• Do you ever run out before your refill date?
• What happens then?
• What happens if you run out and can't get more?
¶ Do you experience withdrawal symptoms (i.e. bad flu-like symptoms)?
For more information on research, impact, and methods of Screening and Brief Intervention
Suggested reading
Motivational Interviewing in Health Care: Helping Patients Change Behavior, by Stephen Rollnick, William R. Miller, and Christopher C. Butler (2007)
Pain Management
Physicians who effectively treat pain are familiar with the warning signs of abuse and addiction.
The Colorado Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is available for those with prescriptive authority to research prescription drug
PDMP White Paper
Board of Pharmacy
Helpful links
American Society on Addiction Medicine
National Institute on Drug Abuse
As a healthcare provider, you may have mixed messages from patients, doctors and/or administrators about how to screen for, and address addiction issues. The recent spotlight on opiate addiction may have you concerned about how to effectively treat pain in your patients. The following information is intended to assist you in making clinically appropriate decisions with regard to quality patient care.
Screening and Brief Intervention
Does your office utilize universal screenings to check for substance abuse issues? Does your screening tool include assessment of prescription drug abuse? Since many people do not associate the misuse of prescription medications as illegal, or abuse, many questions about "illegal drugs" may not result in accurate answers regarding the patient's current use of prescription medications.
Additional questions for medical professionals to ask patients about prescription drug use
• Are you taking any prescription drugs?
• Where do you get them?
• Do you take them more often than prescribed? (Anything beyond the prescribed number is too much.)
• If so, how many more than prescribed?
• Do you ever run out before your refill date?
• What happens then?
• What happens if you run out and can't get more?
¶ Do you experience withdrawal symptoms (i.e. bad flu-like symptoms)?
For more information on research, impact, and methods of Screening and Brief Intervention
Suggested reading
Motivational Interviewing in Health Care: Helping Patients Change Behavior, by Stephen Rollnick, William R. Miller, and Christopher C. Butler (2007)
Pain Management
Physicians who effectively treat pain are familiar with the warning signs of abuse and addiction.
The Colorado Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is available for those with prescriptive authority to research prescription drug
PDMP White Paper
Board of Pharmacy
Helpful links
American Society on Addiction Medicine
National Institute on Drug Abuse