Primary Care Doctors Report Prescribing Fewer Opioids for Pain

A striking majority of primary-care physicians are hesitant to prescribe opioids for pain relief due to the ongoing concern over prescription drug abuse, according to a study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, published in JAMA Internal Medicine. In a survey of 580 internists, family physicians and general practitioners, nine out of 10 reported their concerns of prescription abuse and half said they were now less likely to prescribe opioids than previous years. Eighty-five percent of those surveyed believed that opioids were being overused as treatment options, which may contribute to abuse rates. The lead researcher of the study stated, “Our findings suggest that primary care providers have become aware of the scope of the prescription opioid crisis and are responding in ways that are important, including reducing their overreliance on these medicines. The health care community has long been part of the problem and now they appear to be part of the solution to this complex epidemic.” Future research is targeting actual prescription rates to determine if opioid abuse is being addressed in practice as well as speculation. To learn more about this study, click here.