The state of Tennessee has made a drug database available to help physicians determine which patients seek prescription drugs for their pain and which patients seek medications for drug abuse, according to a Tennessean news report.
The Controlled Substance Monitoring Database was designed to allow pharmacists input data each time a prescription is filled. The physicians can then track how often a patient has received medications and if they are engaging in "doctor shopping." Tracy Jackson, MD, of the Vanderbilt Interventional Pain Center, said urine drug tests can also help physicians weed out drug abusers from patients with true pain, according to the news report.
Dr. Jackson pointed out that although the drug database has been established for more than three years, only a few physicians utilize the system and there are still ways for doctor shoppers to get around the database. More research is needed to determine what practices work best at driving down prescription drug abuse, according to the news report.
Read the news report about the drug monitoring system in Tennessee.
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The Controlled Substance Monitoring Database was designed to allow pharmacists input data each time a prescription is filled. The physicians can then track how often a patient has received medications and if they are engaging in "doctor shopping." Tracy Jackson, MD, of the Vanderbilt Interventional Pain Center, said urine drug tests can also help physicians weed out drug abusers from patients with true pain, according to the news report.
Dr. Jackson pointed out that although the drug database has been established for more than three years, only a few physicians utilize the system and there are still ways for doctor shoppers to get around the database. More research is needed to determine what practices work best at driving down prescription drug abuse, according to the news report.
Read the news report about the drug monitoring system in Tennessee.
Related Articles on Pain Management:
Promising Drug for Pain May Produce Unwanted Side Effects
Study: Acupuncture Has No Significant Impact on Back Pain, May Produce Negative Outcomes
ASIPP Releases NCCI Edits Impacting Interventional Techniques