Preventing, Identifying, and Treating Prescription Drug Misuse Among Active-Duty Service Members

Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, Sarah B. Hunter, Allison J. Ober, Karen Chan Osilla, Raffaele Vardavas, Janice C. Blanchard, David DeVries, Emmanuel F. Drabo, Kristin J. Leuschner, Warren Stewart, Jennifer Walters

"Prescription drug misuse (PDM) is of critical concern for the military because of its potential impact on military readiness, the health and well-being of military personnel, and associated health care costs. The purpose of this report is to summarize insights gleaned from a series of activities that the RAND Corporation undertook for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness to address this important health and military readiness issue. The authors completed a review of U.S. Department of Defense policies and a comprehensive literature review of clinical guidelines and the empirical literature on the prevention and treatment of PDM and conducted individual face-to-face interviews with 66 health and behavioral health care providers at nine medical treatment facilities across three regions within the contiguous United States to identify best practices in the prevention,...