The Generation Rx Initiative Jonathan M. Bosold, Kenneth M. Hale, Nicole Cartwright Kwiek, Emily A. Keeler The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, Columbus, OH, 43210
Learning objectives/questions Learning Objectives After reviewing this poster, the participant should be able to describe: 1. The scope, causes and consequences of the national prescription drug abuse epidemic. 2. Available resources for prescription drug abuse prevention. 3. Mechanisms for using these resources in your community. Self-Assessment Questions 1. True or False: The abuse of prescription medications exceeds that for all illicit street drugs combined except marijuana. 2. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. Approximately how many Americans die every day due to drug overdose? 3. What resources are available through the Generation Rx Initiative to help prevent prescription drug abuse?
The problem Prescription drugs can help us lead longer and healthier lives, but when they are misused or abused the consequences can be deadly. Approximately 100 Americans die each day from a drug overdose, and death rates in the United States have more than tripled since 1990.1 Data from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that 6.8 million Americans, age 12 and older, have abused a prescription medication in the past month, defined as “psychotherapeutics” meaning pain relievers, sedatives and stimulants. This exceeds the abuse of all illicit street drugs they study, except for marijuana, combined by nearly two-fold. Over 4 million first-time drug abuse initiates chose a prescription medication in 2012.2
Consequences
Generation Rx Toolkits
With an estimated $50 billion in economic burden annually, including lost productivity and criminal justice costs,3 the toll of prescription drug abuse on American society is high. Perhaps most alarming is the impact on health and mortality. According to the Centers for Disease Control SAMHSA, Highlights of the 2009 Drug Abuse Warning and Prevention, prescription drug Network (DAWN) Findings on Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits (December 2010). overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Additionally, emergency department visits for non-medical use of pharmaceuticals now outnumber those relating to illicit drugs.4
ELEMENTARY
National Survey on Drug Use & Health, SAMHSA
Causes Easy access and common misperceptions of safety and legality create the perfect storm for prescription drug abuse. Approximately 70% of prescription drug abusers obtain the drug from a friend or relative2. Also, there are common misconceptions about prescription drugs such as “they are safer”, they don’t carry the legal consequences, or they are not as addictive as street drugs.
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
FINDING A SOLUTION The Generation Rx Initiative was established at the College of Pharmacy in 2007 to address the serious public health problem of prescription drug misuse and abuse. Generation Rx has evolved from a small, localized program to become a national leader in prescription drug abuse prevention. A complete menu of toolkits has been created, and these resources are being used throughout the United States. These turnkey resources are provided to the public at no cost, and include materials for use with youth, teens, college students, other adults in the community, and seniors.
COMMUNITY
PATIENT
SENIOR
Attendees of Generation Rx programs are given a survey following the program. The following are a sample of the post-survey results: • 93.9% of youth agreed that, “I will not use prescription drugs that are not prescribed for me” (n=2557) • 98.2% of adults agreed that, “I will only use prescription drugs as directed by a health professional in the future” (n=408) • 100% of seniors agree that, “I will store prescription medications in a secure location” (n=69) [The OSU Community & Youth Collaborative Institute] Download Toolkits now!
Generation Rx websites have been accessed over 48,000 times since 2009, and more than two-thirds of the 129 colleges of pharmacy in the U.S. now have an active Generation Rx program. Through a collaboration with the American Pharmacist Association Academy of Student Pharmacists, the Generation Rx message reached approximately 6.5 million people last year alone.
The Generation Rx University Conference This Conference is an annual event held at Ohio State that brings together college students, faculty, student life staff members, administrators, counselors, and student health professionals to learn about trends in prescription and other drug abuse on college campuses, resources for prevention, and collegiate recovery communities. Participants develop take-home plans for prevention/ recovery programming at their own college or university. Since the first conference, nearly 300 people from more than 50 colleges and universities have acquired skills to use with their own university populations. Feedback from conference evaluations: “This is a wonderful conference! It really helped open my eyes to the subject matter. Great resources.”
National Survey on Drug Use & Health, SAMHSA
Major support for the Generation Rx Initiative is provided by the Cardinal Health Foundation.
COLLEGE
The Generation Rx Toolkits are the heart of the Generation Rx Initiative. These materials include presentations, handouts, activities, facilitator notes, and other related materials.
Through the generous support of the Cardinal Health Foundation and the College of Pharmacy’s investment in personnel and resources, this initiative now involves hundreds of people at Ohio State and across the nation.
National Survey on Drug Use & Health, SAMHSA
TEEN
Sources: 1. CDC [Internet]. Atlanta, GA: Drug Overdose in the United States: Fact Sheet. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/overdose/facts.html. 2. SAMHSA. National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville, MD. Available from: https://nsduhweb.rti.org/respweb/homepage.cfm 3. Hansen RN1, Oster G, Edelsberg J, Woody GE, and Sullivan SD. Economic costs of nonmedical use of prescription opioids. Clinical Journal of Pain. Mar-Apr;27(3):194-202. 4. SAMHSA. Highlights on the 2009 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) Findings on Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits. Rockville, MD. Available from: http://www.samhsa. gov/data/2k10/dawnsr034edhighlights/edhighlights.htm
The Generation Rx Laboratory The Generation Rx Lab at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) is a multi-faceted drug education research lab that aims to: • Assess the educational and experiential impact of hands-on pharmacology experiments in a museum setting • Improve science learning in grades K-12 • Educate the public about medication safety • Measure the impact of the experience on college student volunteers’ science communication and teaching skills Parents believe participation in one of the daily shows had a greater impact on their family’s ability to learn both science and medication safety principles compared to traditional approaches: Science Learning
Photos: Center of Science and Industry (COSI)
Medication Safety
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