State plan tackles medication misuse

• The state's Controlled-Substance Database records will be linked to those of the medical examiner and death certificates to boost investigations into causes and risk factors. That database is also available to physicians and pharmacies, but is underused to see whether a patient might be doctor-shopping (getting prescriptions from multiple doctors). Dr. Alan Colledge of the Utah Labor Commission said it can also help spot doctors who are "outlyers" writing too many narcotic prescriptions.

He noted that a national study found Utah is No. 1 in "nonmedical use" of prescription pain medications. One in 15 people 12 or older used prescription drugs in the last year without a doctor's order.

• A panel will develop best-practice guidelines to help doctors know when and how to appropriately prescribe pain medications. Doctors will then be educated on those guidelines.

• Education materials will be created for patients and the public will also be targeted in a media campaign.

There's a balance between punishing wrongdoers and helping people reclaim their sobriety, said Utah Attorney Gen. Mark Shurtleff, who said it's important that powerful pain relievers are available to relieve genuine suffering. "We don't want to scare doctors away from doing that."

He wants to focus on prevention. "We're not here to incarcerate, we're here to alleviate," although he noted that incarceration is an important "stick."

Since its inception in 1996, the database has gathered records on 32.5 million prescriptions in Utah for controlled substances, said F. David Stanley, director of the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. Last year alone, 4.8 million prescription records were added to the database, which is also sometimes used to help law enforcement.

---

E-mail: lois@desnews.com