Prescription Drugs

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that the United States is in the midst of an epidemic of prescription drug overdose deaths, with deaths associated to prescription pain relievers of particular concern. To address this issue, federal agencies are raising awareness by educating prescribers and the general public. This book examines the recent national trends in prescription pain reliever abuse and misuse; describes how the federal agencies are educating prescribers; assesses the extent to which federal agencies follow key practices for developing public education efforts; and identifies educational efforts that use similar strategies and assesses how agencies coordinate those efforts.