Evaluation of florida physicians' knowledge and attitudes toward accessing the state prescription drug monitoring program as a prescribing tool

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess Florida physicians' attitudes and knowledge toward accessing the state's prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP). Design: Five thousand medical doctors and osteopathic physicians licensed in Florida were randomly selected for a voluntary and anonymous 15-question self-administered survey approved by the Institutional Review Board. Surveys were distributed through U.S. postal service mail. Likert-scale questions were used to assess prior knowledge (1=none to 5=excellent) and attitudes toward accessing the PDMP (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). Results: The study yielded a response rate of 7.8%, 71.5% of whom agreed or strongly agreed that the PDMP is a useful tool. Among participants that have access and answered the PDMP usefulness question, 94.8% agree or strongly agree that it is a useful tool. There were 63 out of 64 physicians (98.4%) who conducted 25 or more searches who agreed or strongly agreed that the PDMP is a useful tool for monitoring patients' controlled substance histories. There were 72.5% of participants with access that answered the "doctor shopping" question who agreed that "doctor shopping" will decrease. Among the 64 most frequent PDMP users, 69.4% agreed or strongly agreed that they have prescribed fewer controlled substances after accessing the PDMP. Conclusions: The study revealed that a majority of participants believe that the PDMP is a useful tool for monitoring patients' controlled substance histories. More continuing education programs should be provided to Florida physicians to enhance their knowledge regarding PDMPs.