Prosecutions for pain scripts may be on the rise
Last Updated: 2007-10-11 14:04:50 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A U.S. survey of state medical board members suggests that while many believe prolonged use of opioid analgesics is necessary to combat severe chronic pain, they also feel that more and more doctors are now being prosecuted for over-prescribing these agents.
The study, which was conducted by the Federation of State Medical Boards and the Wisconsin Pain and Policy Studies Group, is reported in the the Journal of Pain.
Three surveys were sent to state medical board members in 1991, 1997, and 2004 to gauge their attitudes toward prescribing opioid agents for pain control, lead author Dr. Aaron M. Gilson and colleagues, from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, note in the report.
Taken together, the results from the three surveys suggest that medical board members' understanding of pain management issues, especially regarding addiction and the legality of prolonged opioid prescription, has improved over the years.
The findings also indicate that strides have been made in the last 15 years regarding regulatory policy development. In particular, medical boards have adopted guidelines, regulations, and policy statement designed to guide licensees in the use of opioid analgesics.
As noted, many of the respondents believed that federal and state law enforcement agencies are increasing their investigations and prosecutions of physicians who prescribe opioid analgesics.
"Over the last 15 years, state medical boards and their members have increasingly recognized inadequate pain control as a significant healthcare problem, and have attempted to communicate this to practitioners," the authors conclude.
"Now it seems that they must not only strive to alleviate physician fears of regulatory scrutiny, but they also have the opportunity to engage in a positive exchange with law enforcement about the possibility of unwarranted criminal prosecutions."
SOURCE: The Journal of Pain, September 2007.
