A Survey of Older Pain Patients – Are They a Focus of Diversion?
Investigator: Amy Lowery, PhD – Chief Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Division of Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
The study will develop a survey to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of prescription medication use and assess a pilot sample of older adults through a state-based, random-digit–dialed telephone survey. The feasibility and acceptability of the survey will be evaluated and data from this pilot study will be used for a second phase of the study that involves refining the items of the survey and applying it to a larger patient sample. Data from this pilot study reveal gaps in knowledge and medication practices which may drive diversion and misuse by people with access to elderly patients’ homes. This will inform the development of tailored educational interventions in a larger second phase of the study.