Table 5.
Nature of interprofessional encounters regarding prescription opioids in the past 3 months
| NATURE OF ENCOUNTER | NO. OF RESPONDENTS | NOT AT ALL, % | SOMETIMES, % | FREQUENTLY, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacists | ||||
| • Pharmacist was difficult to reach directly by telephone | 494 | 84.2 | 13.4 | 2.4 |
| • Pharmacist challenged a prescription I felt was appropriate | 493 | 75.9 | 23.3 | 0.8 |
| • Pharmacist made a recommendation to a patient that I thought was inappropriate; then the patient wanted me to prescribe what the pharmacist had suggested | 493 | 78.7 | 19.7 | 1.6 |
| • Pharmacist requested a change in the wording of the prescription | 499 | 41.7 | 51.9 | 6.4 |
| • Pharmacist paged or called for minor issues or nonemergencies | 491 | 62.1 | 33.8 | 4.1 |
| • Pharmacist called to verify something that was already stated on the prescription | 494 | 40.9 | 52.6 | 6.5 |
| • Pharmacist dispensed opioid earlier than the time stated on the prescription | 491 | 88.4 | 10.8 | 0.8 |
| • Pharmacist dispensed medication without a prescription when the physician could not be reached | 494 | 93.9 | 5.9 | 0.2 |
| • Pharmacist did not adequately answer my question or address my concern about opioids | 494 | 97.0 | 3.0 | 0 |
| • Pharmacist did not seem very knowledgeable about opioids | 492 | 86.8 | 12.0 | 1.2 |
| Nurses | ||||
| • Nurse was uncomfortable administering the opioids that I prescribed | 389 | 84.6 | 14.7 | 0.8 |
| • Nurse disagreed with my prescription or medical order | 359 | 91.3 | 8.5 | 0.3 |
| • Nurse felt that the patient was displaying drug-seeking behaviour or was difficult and I did not necessarily agree | 390 | 82.8 | 16.9 | 0.3 |
| • Nurse pressured me to prescribe something to keep the patient calm or quiet, such as benzodiazepines or painkillers | 388 | 71.1 | 26.0 | 2.8 |
| • I did not think that the nurse’s assessment of opioid intoxication, withdrawal, or pain was accurate | 387 | 84.0 | 14.0 | 2.0 |