Survey: Patients struggle to obtain valid opioid prescriptions from their doctors

Results from a random, online survey focused on patients with legitimate needs for opiate painkiller medications has found that a significant number have had difficulty obtaining a prescription in the midst of the opiate crisis and widespread crackdown on inappropriate prescribing.

Results revealed that 48 percent of respondents have had a prescription for an opioid-based medication in the last five years with the majority receiving multiple prescriptions during that time. However, among that group, 20 percent of patients surveyed said they ran into difficulties obtaining the meds with about half saying doctors are hesitating to prescribe opioids.

The survey, sponsored by DrFirst, a medication management provider, also gauged patient’s attitudes about prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), which many states require in pharmacies and healthcare settings. The systems provide a safety alert before prescribing or dispensing controlled substances, giving clinicians opportunities to recognize misuse or patients at risk of overdosing.

“However, providers often ignore this requirement because workflows are typically inefficient and time-consuming,” according to a statement provided by DrFirst, noting that the survey results showed that 76 percent of consumers favor utilization of PDMPs, 68 percent support the use of PDMPs even if it slows clinicians down, and 69% of survey respondents said the extra time required to access the databases is not reason enough for providers to decline using them. Studies have indicated that patients who take opioid pain killers of varying doses over time are three times more likely to overdose than patients who are kept on the same dose.   

“Though many physicians and pharmacists would like to consult a patient’s prescription drug history before writing a prescription, many prescribing solutions make the process overly difficult and time-consuming, failing to provide fundamental components such as complete data, in-workflow decision support, and analytics,” said the company’s president G. Cameron Deemer in a news release.