Usefulness of prescription monitoring programs for surveillance--analysis of Schedule II opioid prescription data in Massachusetts, 1996-2006.

Purpose: Electronic prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) have been developed in many states as a public health surveillance tool. We analyze herein 11 years of Massachusetts PMP data to evaluate trends in opioid prescribing, dispensing, and usage.

Methods: Prescription records from the Massachusetts PMP for Schedule II opioids from fiscal year 1996 to 2006 were analyzed.

Update on prescription monitoring in clinical practice: a survey study of prescription monitoring program administrators.

Objective: Prescription drug abuse and undertreatment of pain are public health priorities in the United States. Few options to manage these problems are balanced, in simultaneously supporting pain relief and deterring prescription drug abuse. Prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) potentially offer a balanced approach; however, the medical/scientific communities are not well informed about their current status and potential risks/benefits.