Opioid Risk Mitigation Practices of Interprofessional Oncology Personnel: Results From a Cross-Sectional Survey

BACKGROUND: This study explored the risk mitigation practices of multidisciplinary oncology health-care personnel for the nonmedical use of opioids in people with cancer. METHODS: An anonymous, cross-sectional descriptive survey was administered via email to eligible providers over 4 weeks at The Ohio State University’s Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital. The survey asked about experiences and knowledge related to opioid use disorders. RESULTS: The final sample of 773 participants included 42 physicians, 213 advanced practice providers (APPs consisted of advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, and pharmacists), and 518 registered nurses. Approximately 40% of participants responded feeling “not confident” in addressing medication diversion. The most frequent risk reduction measure was “Checking the prescription drug monitoring program” when prescribing controlled medications, reported by physicians (n = 29, 78.4%) and APPs (n = 164, 88.6%). CONCLUSION: People with cancer are not exempt from the opioid epidemic and may be at risk for nonmedical opioid use (NMOU) and substance use disorders. Implementing risk reduction strategies with every patient, with a harm reduction versus abstinence focus, minimizes harmful consequences and improves. This study highlights risk mitigation approaches for NMOU, representing an opportunity to improve awareness among oncology health-care providers. Multidisciplinary oncology teams are ideally positioned to navigate patients through complex oncology and health-care journeys.