Prescription drug monitoring program use and utility by Washington State pharmacists: A mixed-methods study

Abstract

Objectives: To explore factors and situations that influence pharmacists to use the prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) and to characterize actions taken by pharmacists after alarming scenarios from a PDMP query.

Design: Explanatory sequential 2-phase mixed-methods design: (1) cross-sectional Web-based survey of Washington State pharmacists followed by (2) interviews with purposefully selected respondents to explore statistically significant quantitative findings.

Setting and participants: The study was conducted in Washington State from September 2018 to February 2019. A total of 967 Washington State pharmacists from various practice settings, including inpatient and outpatient pharmacies, participated. Ten outpatient pharmacists were interviewed in the second phase.

Outcome measures: The pharmacists reported the frequency of PDMP use, opinion on the usefulness of PDMP, and action(s) taken after a concerning PDMP report.

Results: The usable response rate for pharmacists with a PDMP account was 17.6% (818/4659), and usable response rate for all pharmacists was 10.4% (967/9263). PDMP use varied by race, practice setting, and employer policy on PDMP use. Among the 818 PDMP users, 396 (48%) used the database at least once during a shift. Frequent PDMP users were more likely to recommend naloxone compared with less frequent users (adjusted odds ratio 1.70 [95% CI 1.09-2.65], P = 0.02). The following 3 interview themes were identified: time, company policy, and red flags.

Conclusion: PDMP has value to pharmacists of all practice settings studied. Frequent PDMP use may facilitate more pharmacist interventions, such as a naloxone prescription.