HealthDay (9/15, Dallas) reported that a new study appearing in the recent issue of the journal Medical Care found that “people who visit multiple doctors and pharmacies to get medications are at greater risk of dying from” a prescription medication overdose. According to the article, the researchers said that “drug-monitoring programs might help identify patients who engage in what’s known as ‘doctor shopping’ or ‘pharmacy shopping.'” Researchers in the study “identified nearly 700 people aged 18 and older who had died,” and “of these, about 25 percent were doctor shoppers, and nearly 17.5 percent were pharmacy shoppers.”
Related Links:
— “‘Doctor Shopping’ Tied to Fatal Prescription Drug Overdoses, “Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, September 14, 2012.