Topics: Practice Tools and Tips | Substance Abuse

How do PDMPs work? To search for a patient in a PDMP, all you need to do is enter the person’s name and birthdate and click the search button. The PDMP will generate a patient activity report that will tell you what controlled substances the patient has picked up and where. The report gives you lots of detail, including the address of the patient; the drug names, doses, quantities, and refill information on any controlled substances that have been dispensed; and the applicable prescriber names, DEA numbers, pharmacy names, dispensing dates, and prescription numbers.

Dr. Raskin discusses strategies when dealing with prescription-seeking patients, including common scenarios for helping clinicians decide whether a patient requesting opioids is endorsing more pain than they actually have.

Topics: Practice Tools and Tips

Two recent federal initiatives have catapulted buprenorphine to the forefront of treatment for opioid use disorders.

Topics: Research Update

Do electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) help people quit smoking tobacco cigarettes? Clinical trials have indicated that e-cigs are as effective as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in quit rates, but what about population-level evidence? Can it show that increasing e-cig popularity in a country leads to a greater likelihood of quitting smoking?

Topics: Research Update

There are a few truths when it comes to cognitive functioning and acute alcohol use. We know that alcohol intoxication can lead to imbalance, disorientation, and loss of consciousness. We also know the ability to hang on to small amounts of information for a few seconds is impaired. However, what’s less clear is the long-term impact on cognitive abilities in heavy drinkers as they age. It may seem like a “no-brainer” that cognitive abilities would be worse in heavy drinkers as they get older, but research on the topic has been conflicting.

Topics: Practice Tools and Tips | Substance Abuse

Dr. Raskin discusses strategies when dealing with prescription-seeking patients, including common scenarios for helping clinicians decide whether a patient requesting opioids is endorsing more pain than they actually have.

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