Overdose Death Notices Plus Guidance Sink Opioid Prescribing
Physicians who received a letter from a medical examiner about a patient’s fatal overdose — along with suggested guidance for future visits for pain — prescribed fewer opioids, according to a cluster randomized controlled trial. Doctors who received the death notice plus guidance had a drop in weekly morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) pre- to post-intervention […]
Letter on Patient’s Fatal Overdose May Curb Benzodiazepine Prescribing
Physicians who received a letter from a medical examiner notifying them of a recent patient’s fatal overdose prescribed fewer benzodiazepines, a secondary analysis of clinical trial data showed. Daily 2-mg diazepam pill equivalents decreased more in an intervention group that received a medical examiner letter and injunction to prescribe safely compared with a control group […]