Health
Admissions of patients with prescription painkiller addiction increase
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 30, 2009
The number of patients receiving care for misusing prescription opioids has grown significantly over the past decade, according to a March 17 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report.
According to the "Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) Highlights -- 2007," 1% of all 1997 treatment center admissions were primarily for prescription drug misuse. The number grew to 5% in 2007. Alcohol problems were the main reasons for 50% of admissions in 1997, but this amount decreased to 40% in 2007. Heroin-related care held steady at 14%. The report is available online (link).
Agency officials hope the report, which contains data on 1.8 million treatment center admissions, will be used in planning for use of resources.
"The TEDS report provides valuable insight into the true nature and scope of the challenges confronting the substance abuse treatment community," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick, DDS, MPH. "By carefully analyzing this data, the public health community can better anticipate and address emerging needs."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/03/30/hlbf0330.htm.
