| Recognizing and then confronting a patient who is drug-seeking can be intimidating. The purpose of this literature review is to help healthcare professionals identify drug-seeking behaviors and to present them with techniques for managing and reducing these behaviors. Conceptual Definitions: Clinical Setting includes primary practice in rural or urban areas of the United States where patients are treated as outpatients. Controlled Substance includes opioid analgesics, sedative-hypnotics, and stimulants. Drug-Seeking Behavior is a manipulative behavior with intent to obtain, accumulate, and misuse prescription opioid analgesics, sedative-hypnotic, and/or stimulants. Drug-seeker is someone who displays drug-seeking behaviors. Healthcare Professionals/Providers include professionals in health care with prescription writing privileges. Misuse involves taking additional doses, giving or selling to others, and/or changing a narcotic analgesic, sedative-hypnotic, and/or stimulant's physical or chemical make-up. Methods. Literature was collected from on-line databases, professional journals, books, and professional practice websites. Date parameters are the later part of the 1990s through the first part of 2011. Conclusions. Healthcare providers can gain the confidence to effectively deal with this difficult patient population. Investigation shows the need for improved recognition of drug-seeking behaviors and effective management techniques that include improved communication between provider and patient and between healthcare providers, pharmacies, and law officials. |
