Physicians Lack Confidence Managing Patients with Opioid Prescriptions

BOSTON — Only one-quarter of physicians who prescribe opioids say they are very confident managing the patients they prescribe them to, according to new survey results released by the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and myCME, Haymarket Medical Education’s global medical-education website.

According to Dr. Daniel Alford, director of BUSM’s Safe and Competent Opioid Prescribing Education (SCOPE) program, “this indicates a critical need for provider education addressing this issue. It is important our medical community is given the training it needs to confidently manage chronic pain while significantly reducing prescription opioid misuse, overdose and diversion.”

The majority of the physicians surveyed agree. More than 90{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} say being knowledgeable about opioid therapy is an important issue. Many have also taken proactive steps to improve their opioid-prescribing practices. Sixty-five percent have implemented systems to support the safe initiation, monitoring, and discontinuing of chronic opioid therapy.

Of those that have not implemented such systems, more than 60{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} said it was not a priority given limited time. “It’s troubling that so many physicians say implementing safe opioid prescribing systems is not a priority, even though this is an acute issue,” Alford said. “We’ve created a situation where some physicians are comfortable not doing anything about it. That’s why education is so critical.”

Creating better awareness of online training opportunities is part of the solution. More than 46{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of physicians who completed continuing education on safe opioid prescribing completed it online. “Accessibility is something clinicians value,” Alford said. “That’s why BUSM and others have created training programs online so opioid education is available whenever and wherever they are.”

The 804 survey respondents represent various specialties, including internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and ob/gyn.