Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: Is There a Role for Physician Education?

Schnell M, Currie J. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research; August 2017. Working Paper No. 23645.

Overprescribing is seen as a contributor to the current opioid epidemic. This working paper explores the potential role that physician education and medical school quality have on prescribing behaviors. Analyzing data from 2006–2014, the authors found that lower ranked institutions wrote more opioid prescriptions and conclude that physician education may be a logical focus of improvement efforts. A recent PSNet perspective explored opioid overdose as a patient safety problem.

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