Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 3, 2025
08:05
A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
9.8K
A Risk Education Program Decreases Leftover Prescription Opioid Retention: An RCT
Terri Voepel-Lewis1, Carol J Boyd2, Alan R Tait3
1School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Anesthesiology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health (DASH Center), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
|July 31, 2022
Summary
A new educational program reduced parents' retention of leftover prescription opioids, decreasing risks of misuse and overdose for children. This intervention is key to safe medication disposal and preventing youth opioid misuse.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric medicine
- Public health
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Retaining unused prescription opioids at home presents significant risks, including diversion, misuse, accidental poisoning, and overdose, particularly for children and adolescents.
- Youth opioid misuse is a critical public health concern, necessitating strategies to prevent access to leftover medications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel educational intervention in enhancing parental risk perceptions and disposal intentions for leftover prescription opioids.
- To determine if the intervention decreases the likelihood of parents retaining unused opioid medications after a child's prescription.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 648 parents whose children received opioid analgesics.
- Parents were randomized to receive routine information or the Scenario-Tailored Opioid Messaging Program intervention, which included interactive feedback on risks and mitigation strategies.
- Outcomes measured included risk perception, disposal intentions, and actual retention of leftover opioids at 14 days post-prescription.
Main Results:
- The intervention group showed increased perceived riskiness of opioid misuse and retention compared to the control group.
- No significant differences were observed in disposal intentions between the groups.
- The educational intervention significantly reduced parents' retention of leftover opioids (Adjusted Odds Ratio=0.48).
- Parental history of opioid misuse was associated with higher retention rates.
Conclusions:
- A targeted educational intervention effectively decreased parents' retention of leftover opioid medications, mitigating potential risks to children.
- Reducing the availability of unused prescription opioids in homes is a crucial step in preventing diversion, accidental poisoning, and youth misuse.
- Further research should explore strategies to address higher retention behaviors among parents with a history of opioid misuse.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
165
Biopharmaceutical studies constitute a vital field aiming to enhance drug delivery methods and refine therapeutic approaches, drawing upon diverse interdisciplinary knowledge. In research methodologies, the choice between controlled and non-controlled studies significantly influences the study's reliability and accuracy.
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
165
01:54The Placebo Effect
6.3K
The placebo effect occurs when people's expectations or beliefs influence or determine their experience in a given situation. In other words, simply expecting something to happen can actually make it happen.
6.3K
01:02Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
838
Prescription drugs require a prescription from a medical practitioner and can only be obtained from a pharmacy. They have many applications, including treating pain, anxiety, and hypertension.
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
838
01:19Pharmacovigilance
974
Post-marketing surveillance is a critical component of pharmaceutical regulation, often uncovering unanticipated adverse drug reactions (ADRs) once a drug is widely used over an extended period.
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
974
01:20Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis
2.1K
Tachyphylaxis is described as a rapid decrease in response to a drug after repeated or continuous administration of the same drug dose. It is a phenomenon where the body becomes less responsive to a particular substance or intervention over time, requiring higher doses or stronger interventions to achieve the same effect. It results from adaptive changes in the body's receptors, signaling pathways, or physiological processes that occur in response to prolonged exposure to a stimulus.
2.1K
01:52Regression Toward the Mean
6.5K
Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when...
6.5K