Guidance on how to prevent or treat the misuse of prescription drugs in the U.S. Department of Defense and Veterans Administration is similar to directives outside the military system, and tends to focus on opioids.

A Systematic Review of the Prevention and Treatment of Prescription Drug Misuse

Janice C. Blanchard, Sarah B. Hunter, Karen Chan Osilla, Warren Stewart, Jennifer Walters, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula

ResearchPosted on rand.org May 9, 2016Published in: Military Medicine, v. 181, no. 5, May 2016, p. 410-423

OBJECTIVES: This is a review and evaluation of the current clinical guidelines and empirical literature in relation to the Department of Defense (DoD) policies and directives regarding prescription drug misuse (PDM). METHODS: Sources were 11 clinical guidelines and consensus statements, 20 DoD Directives and the published literature from 2000 to 2012. Articles were included if they specifically focused on the prevention or treatment of PDM. RESULTS: DoD directives were evaluated in relation to the clinical guidelines and the relevant research literature. Empirical evidence supporting the directives was limited. CONCLUSIONS: There is little empirical evidence for the prevention and treatment of PDM and the majority of published guidelines and studies focus on prescription opioids. Important limitations include the lack of information about appropriately identifying and managing persons at risk for PDM. More research is needed to identify and recommend effective mechanisms for the prevention and treatment of PDM.

Key Takeaways

  • Of 20 directives authored by DoD and other military entities, none focused on treatment options for prescription drug misuse.
  • Guidelines and consensus statements within and outside the military mainly focused on misuse of prescription opioids; clinical recommendations appear to be similar.
  • The evidence base for current approaches to predicting misuse is not strong.
  • Treatment approaches need to be based on individual needs.

Recommendation

Policymakers and researchers should seek more data on prevention and treatment approaches to build a stronger evidence base.

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Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S
  • Publisher: AMSUS - The Society of the Federal Health Professionals
  • Availability: Non-RAND
  • Year: 2016
  • Pages: 14
  • Document Number: EP-66465

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