Prescription Drug Abuse: Opioid Diversion and Best-Practice Prescribing

Objectives: Discuss the epidemiology, trends, contributing factors, and social and economic impacts of prescription drug abuse and diversion. Identify risk factors for potential misuse/abuse of prescribed pain medications. List the classes of drugs that are most commonly abused and/or diverted. Discuss behaviors suggestive of aberrant drug-taking behavior. Compare/contrast acute and chronic pain. Summarize CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain. Describe initiatives aimed at preventing prescription drug abuse and diversion.

Description: Factors contributing to misuse/abuse of prescribed pain medications; most commonly abused and/or diverted drugs; managing chronic pain and CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain; best practices for prescribing controlled substances.