Rx for Injury: Adolescent Prescription Drug Misuse

Abstract

In the past 2 decades, preventable injuries in children and adolescents have been on the decline. 1 Valdez AM Pediatric injury prevention: are we there yet?. J Emerg Nurs. 2013; 39: 76-77 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar This decrease in injuries is a positive outcome of many years of injury prevention activities; however, one area in which injury rates are on the rise is drug poisoning. In fact, the number of poisoning incidences in youth aged 15 to 19 years doubled between 2000 and 2009. 2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Vital signs: unintentional injury deaths among persons aged 0–19 years—United States, 2000–2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012; 61 (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm61e0416a1.htm?s_cid=mm61e0416a1_w Accessed March 22, 2014): 270-276 PubMed Google Scholar This sharp increase in poisoning events has been attributed to a dramatic increase in the number of medications being prescribed and the misuse of those medications. 3 Warner M Chen LH Makuc DM Anderson RN Miniño AM Drug Poisoning Deaths in the United States, 1980–2008. NCHS data brief, No. 81. National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD2011 Google Scholar Poisoning is now the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States, and drugs—most of which are prescription drugs—cause 90% of poisoning deaths. 4 Trust for America’s Health Prescription drug abuse: strategies to stop the epidemic 2013. http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/TFAH2013RxDrugAbuseRptFINAL.pdf Google Scholar Anna Valdez, Member, San Francisco Chapter, is Contributing Faculty, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN.