A Web-Based Program to Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse

描述（由研究者提供）：处方药是改善许多人健康和幸福的有效途径。然而，许多患者没有得到适当的筛查和预防处方药滥用的教育指导。这一问题的关键在于，镇静剂、镇定剂、镇痛药和兴奋剂等药物如果使用和管理不当，可能导致药物滥用、依赖和成瘾。美国国家药物滥用研究所（National Institute on Drug Abuse）最近指出，滥用处方药的情况呈上升趋势，而且老年人、青少年和女性似乎越来越受到关注。当前项目的目的是开发和测试一个创新的网络教育方案，旨在防止妇女滥用处方药。该计划将包含有关安全使用有滥用可能的药物以及服用药物的替代方法的重要信息。在项目的第一阶段，将开发原型结构和内容，并在职业妇女焦点小组中进行测试。在第二阶段，该计划将进行扩展、实地测试、修订，并准备向企业和管理式医疗机构进行营销。

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): Prescription medications are an effective way to bring improvements in the health and well being of many people. Many patients, however, fail to receive proper screening and educational instruction on the prevention of prescription drug abuse. Critical to this issue is the fact that medications such as tranquilizers, sedatives, analgesics, and stimulants may lead to drug misuse, dependence, and addiction if not administered and managed properly. The National Institute on Drug Abuse recently noted that the abuse of prescription medications is on the rise and there appears to be increased concern for older adults, adolescents, and women. The purpose of the current project is to develop and test an innovative web-based educational program designed to prevent prescription drug abuse among women. The program will contain important information on the safe use of medications with abuse potential and on alternatives to taking medications. During Phase I of the project, the prototype structure and content will be developed and tested with focus groups of working women. In Phase II, the program will be expanded, field-tested, revised, and prepared for marketing to corporations and managed care organizations. There is currently a clear tack of an interactive, multimedia program for women addressing the issue of prescription drug use and abuse. Such a program is a much needed tool that should have substantial appeal to corporations wishing to provide their employees with information that can decrease their risk to drug misuse and increase morale and productivity at work. Managed care organizations should also be interested in a program that could help reduce the cost of prescription drug misuse and abuse in women of all ages.