Communication of Recommendations for the Disposal of Unused Prescription Opioid Medications by Stakeholders in the News Media

Megan L Petrik; Patrick J McNamara; Susan M Moeschler; Benjamin D Blair

doi:10.1093/pm/pnz104

Communication of Recommendations for the Disposal of Unused Prescription Opioid Medications by Stakeholders in the News Media

Pain Med. 2019 Sep 1;20(9):1711-1716. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnz104.

Authors

Megan L Petrik¹, Patrick J McNamara², Susan M Moeschler³, Benjamin D Blair⁴

Affiliations

¹ Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
² Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
³ Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
⁴ Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

PMID: 31127840
DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnz104

Abstract

Objective: The opioid epidemic is a national public health emergency that requires a comprehensive approach to reduce opioid-related deaths. Proper and timely disposal of unused prescription opioids is one method to deter improper use of these medications and prevent overdose. The objective of this study was to understand how recommendations for disposing of unused prescription opioids, including both take-back programs and toilet disposal, are communicated to the public.

Methods: Two hundred sixty-three US newspaper articles published between January 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017, containing information on opioids and take-back programs were found using LexisNexis. Using content analysis, articles were coded for the presentation of and recommendation for opioid disposal practices, beliefs about environmental harm from toilet disposal, and additional strategies to reduce opioid supply. The entity responsible for the statement was also captured.

Results: Take-back programs were presented as a recommended disposal strategy for unused prescription opioids in 88.6% of coded articles. Toilet disposal was presented as a recommended disposal strategy for unused prescription opioids in 3.4% of articles and as harmful to the environment in 16.0% of articles. Individuals from health care, government, and law enforcement were primarily involved in discussing opioid disposal practices.

Conclusions: Although toilet disposal is recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for disposal of unused prescription opioids when a take-back program is not readily available, it was infrequently presented or recommended in news media articles. These results highlight the importance of improving communication of FDA guidelines for opioid disposal in the media, particularly by health care providers, government employees, and law enforcement officials.

Keywords: Disposal; Opioid; Patient Education; Public Health.

MeSH terms

Analgesics, Opioid*
Communication
Communications Media*
Humans
Prescription Drugs*
Refuse Disposal*
United States

Substances

Analgesics, Opioid
Prescription Drugs