Other Titles
Opioid Prescribing Across Professions: What the Data Tells Us About NPs, MDs, and PAs [Title Slide]
Other Titles
PechaKucha Presentation
Abstract
The expansion of nurse prescribing authority in parallel with widespread policy response to the opioid epidemic has altered the landscape of healthcare delivery, and prescription of controlled substances. This study provides a comparative analysis of nurse and non-nurse prescribing patterns using national and state-level data from the United States. Utilizing comprehensive datasets from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Washington State Medical Association, this analysis identifies trends in opioid and other controlled substance prescriptions among Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and other providers. These findings help evaluate the impact of NP education, both pre-licensure and post licensure on safety concerns related to controlled substances. This data can also help identify the need for ongoing education and monitoring to mitigate risks of controlled substance related morbidity and mortality. This study underscores the importance of consistent national guidelines to optimize both nurse and non-nurse prescribing practices while ensuring patient safety and effective treatment outcomes.
Notes
References:
Kuo, Y. F., Loresto, F. L., Rounds, L. R., & Goodwin, J. S. (2013). States with the least restrictive regulations experienced the largest increase in patients seen by nurse practitioners. Health Affairs, 32(7), 1236-1243. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0072
Brown, M. A. (2021). Louise Kaplan and Marie Annette Brown. The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse as a Prescriber, 4974156.
Tzeng, H. M., Raji, M. A., Chou, L. N., & Kuo, Y. F. (2022). Impact of State Nurse Practitioner Regulations on Potentially Inappropriate Medication Prescribing Between Physicians and Nurse Practitioners: A National Study in the United States. Journal of nursing care quality, 37(1), 6–13. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000595
Spetz, J., Parente, S. T., Town, R. J., & Bazarko, D. (2013). Scope-of-practice laws for nurse practitioners limit cost savings that can be achieved in retail clinics. Health Affairs, 32(11), 1977-1984.
Washington State Medical Association (2024) Better Prescribing Better Treatment. https://wsma.org/wsma/resources/better-prescribing-better-treatment/program-overview/wsma/resources/better-prescribing-better-treatment/program-overview.aspx?hkey=42729990-0749-4850-b50a-a23a37590234
National Institute on Drug Abuse (n.d.) Trends & Statistics. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics
SAHMSA (n.d.) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive. https://www.datafiles.samhsa.gov/
National Institute on Drug Abuse (n.d.) Trends & Statistics. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics
SAHMSA (n.d.) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive. https://www.datafiles.samhsa.gov/
Sigma Membership
Psi at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Primary Care, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Prescribing Patterns, Opioid Epidemic
Recommended Citation
Matyac, CarrieAnn; Biggerstaff, Mary Ellen; and Cao, Renzhi, "Comparative Analysis Controlled Substances Prescribing: A Review of National and State-Level Data" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 11.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/11
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Comparative Analysis Controlled Substances Prescribing: A Review of National and State-Level Data
Seattle, Washington, USA
The expansion of nurse prescribing authority in parallel with widespread policy response to the opioid epidemic has altered the landscape of healthcare delivery, and prescription of controlled substances. This study provides a comparative analysis of nurse and non-nurse prescribing patterns using national and state-level data from the United States. Utilizing comprehensive datasets from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Washington State Medical Association, this analysis identifies trends in opioid and other controlled substance prescriptions among Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and other providers. These findings help evaluate the impact of NP education, both pre-licensure and post licensure on safety concerns related to controlled substances. This data can also help identify the need for ongoing education and monitoring to mitigate risks of controlled substance related morbidity and mortality. This study underscores the importance of consistent national guidelines to optimize both nurse and non-nurse prescribing practices while ensuring patient safety and effective treatment outcomes.
Description
This study compares nurse and non-nurse prescribing of controlled substances across the U.S and Washington State, analyzing state-level regulations and their effects on prescription trends, patient care, and public health. National and state data reveal can help highlight the need for education to balance access and safety concerns in controlled substance prescribing.