Surgical residency program directors are not always aware of local controlled substance prescribing policies, according to an article in the Journal of Surgical Research.
Here are four things to know.
1. Opioid misuse is due in part to over-prescribing by healthcare providers, including residents. Surgical residents are frequently tasked with prescribing opioids at patient discharge.
2. The study authors emailed a survey to surgery program directors asking about residency characteristics and the directors' knowledge of state regulations; 110 directors completed responses.
3. Almost all program directors — 104, or 94.5 percent —allow residents to prescribe outpatient opioids. Over half of the respondents correctly answered whether their state required opioid prescribing education for full licensure; 20 percent of respondents were uncertain.
4. Twenty-nine — 27.9 percent — of programs require residents to obtain individual drug enforcement agency registration.
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