Although most states have implemented PDMPs to assist providers in delivering appropriate opioid prescriptions, these tools are often unavailable in military healthcare settings, despite the U.S. Army reporting a higher rate of opioid misuse than the general public.
To investigate this trend, researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio conducted 26 interviews with military providers. Through the interviews, the researchers aimed to assess baseline knowledge about opioid risk mitigation and preferences related to implementing a military-based PDMP or other clinical decision support system.
The interviews revealed military healthcare providers had complex decision-making practices for opioid prescribing and monitoring and had varied knowledge about existing clinical informatics systems. “Military providers were skeptical regarding the feasibility of MHS-based PDMP implementation, but provided important recommendations for CDS to support safe and appropriate opioid prescribing in military healthcare,” the study authors concluded.
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