InteliSpark client, Principled Strategies, Inc., wins a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for phase I of their project to deliver actionable solutions to pervasive prescription drug misuse and abuse that exists at prescriber, pharmacy, and patient levels.
Prescription drug misuse, abuse, and addiction is an alarming public health concern in the United States. The 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that 9.9 million people misused prescription pain relievers, and that 37.6% of misusers received prescriptions or stole from health care providers.
Recognizing the urgency in finding preventative measures to this widespread health issue, Principled Strategies, Inc. created SafeUseNow. This novel solution identifies behaviors of prescribers that may contribute to drug abuse, misuse, and addiction. It also engages prescribers in educational programs to improve prescription drug prescribing and monitors patterns or changes in behaviors that may inform and improve intervention services.
As SafeUseNow focused on prescribers primarily, researchers identified the need to address the issue at the patient level and will develop patient-level risk identifiers in this newly awarded project to incorporate in SafeUseNow. This holistic approach enables insurance companies, networks, and state and local governments to identify behaviors that may contribute to the issue across prescribers, pharmacies, and patients. This, in turn, will enhance or prompt new approaches to prevention and intervention.