MMS Launches Effort to Educate On Prescription Drug Abuse

The president of the Massachusetts Medical Society said that “There is no more important public health issue today than the opioid epidemic,” and on Thursday announced that the organization is launching a comprehensive campaign to educate physicians and patients about safe prescribing and the storage and disposal of prescription pain medications.

“Physicians must step forward immediately,” said Dennis M. Dimitri, M.D., president of the statewide association of physicians with nearly 25,000 members, in an announcement, “to do everything we can to help bring this devastating problem under control.”

Citing statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Dimitri noted that more than 80 percent of people who misuse prescription pain medications are using drugs prescribed to someone else. Nearly 4 in 10 Massachusetts residents personally know someone who has abused prescription pain medications, according to a recent Harvard School of Public Health poll.

Dr. Dimitri said in a release that while he believes most physicians prescribe responsibly, the data “tells me that there are too many doses of opioid medications in circulation. By limiting this supply and ensuring that opioids are available only to patients who truly need them, we can make a big impact on the Commonwealth’s opioid crisis.”

The Medical Society’s campaign will have three components:
(1) Guidelines for prescribers to help them make the right decisions for their patients;
(2) free educational resources for prescribers to help inform their judgments; and
(3) information on the critical aspects of storage and disposal of prescription drugs for patients and families.

“There is no more important public health issue today than the opioid epidemic,” said Dr. Dimitri. “It is devastating communities, families, men, women, rich and poor, and most tragically, children and adolescents. It has to stop – and physicians are ready to do our part.”