Alternatives to opioid education and a prescription drug monitoring program cumulatively decreased outpatient opioid prescriptions.
Reducing opioid-related overdoses and deaths is a national patient safety priority. This study analyzed the impact of implementing three quality improvement interventions on the opioid prescribing practices of emergency providers at one hospital – the implementation of a prescription drug monitoring program, clinical education on alternatives to opioids, and electronic health record (EHR) process changes. Findings indicate that these three approaches can decrease the amount of opioids prescribed in an acute ED setting.