The International journal on drug policy
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Feb 2016
Prescription monitoring programs and emergency department visits involving benzodiazepine misuse: Early evidence from 11 United States metropolitan areas.
Emergency department (ED) visits involving benzodiazepines have increased in the United States. Most states have created prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) to improve drug prescribing safety. To determine the association between PMP implementation and ED visits involving benzodiazepine misuse, we conducted a retrospective analysis of data from 11 metropolitan areas in the United States from 2004 to 2011. ⋯ We did not find evidence that PMP implementation was associated with reductions in ED visits involving benzodiazepine misuse. Future work should identify PMP features and capabilities that improve benzodiazepine safety.