Healthcare consumers' perceptions and experiences of an Australian prescription drug monitoring program: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are increasingly being recognised as a medication safety initiative to minimise harms from high-risk prescription medications. This study explored healthcare consumers' experiences and perceptions of a state-wide PDMP in NSW, Australia, "SafeScript NSW". We examined, 1) awareness and understanding of SafeScript NSW, and 2) perceptions of impacts of SafeScript NSW. Methods: Cross-sectional online survey was used; invitations were distributed via mailing lists and physical mailouts. Data collection occurred between May-August 2023, one year post roll-out of SafeScript NSW. All NSW-based consumers were eligible to participate. Rating scale and free-text response items were included. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis of quantitative data and a general inductive analysis approach used to code and identify themes from qualitative data. Results: 77 consumers responses received. Two-thirds identified as female (51/77; 66.2%). Respondents were from all regions (metropolitan, regional, and rural) of NSW. Opioids and benzodiazepines were the top two PDMP-monitored medicines taken regularly. Most respondents (50/74; 67.6%) had not heard of SafeScript NSW prior to the survey and did not perceive it to be useful for identifying medicines-related harms (51/73; 69.9%). Close to half of the respondents noted no impacts of the system on their healthcare, including time spent at visits (10/22; 45.5%), or quality of care received (10/22; 45.5%). Over 50 free-text comments were received describing perceived impacts of SafeScript NSW which provided a more nuanced understanding of consumer experiences. The majority (59.6%) of these comments described negative experiences, including some reporting inability to access treatment and experiencing stigma. Conclusions: This study explored healthcare consumers' experiences and perceptions of SafeScript NSW. Consumers had poor overall awareness and knowledge of SafeScript NSW and its impacts. Although primarily a practitioner-facing tool, our findings suggest additional dissemination of information and engagement of relevant consumers would foster consumer trust and confidence in their healthcare experiences and PDMP systems. Policies governing PDMP should account for the diverse needs of patients and practitioners. Realisation of PDMP's desired benefits should invite confidence and trust in care, and aim to avoid unintended harms to patients who may inadvertently be prevented from medically appropriate care.