The Use of a Statewide Prescription Drug Monitoring Program by Emergency Department Physicians.

Background: Little is known about how emergency physicians have used Wisconsin's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP).

Objective: To characterize emergency physician knowledge and utilization of the program and how it modifies practice.

Methods: Online survey data were collected 1 year after program implementation. Descriptive statistics were generated and qualitative responses were grouped by content.

Results: Of the 63 respondents, 64.1% had used the program. Lack of a DEA number and knowledge about how to sign up were the most common barriers to registration. Over 97% of program users found it useful for confirming suspicion of drug abuse and 90% wrote fewer prescriptions after program implementation. Time constraints and the difficult log-in process were common barriers to use. More users than nonusers stated that their workplace was supportive of program use.

Conclusions: Although barriers exist, PDMP utilization appears useful to emergency physicians and associated with modifications to patient management.