How to Counsel Your Patients on Off-Label Medication Use

Jun 2, 2020

Doctors and other professionals with prescriptive authority can prescribe any medications they deem appropriate for the treatment of their patient's condition, but the liability risk may be weighing on their minds, in the event of adverse outcomes related to use of off label medications. Meanwhile, a vast majority of medications used for pediatric pain have not specifically been labeled for use for that particular indication, age group or dosage.  This episode explores the implications of off-label medication use and how to appropriately counsel your patients when using off label medications. 

Takeaways in This Episode:

• What constitutes off-label medication use & how prevalent is it?
• What leads to off label use of medications
• What does it mean for a prescriber to use a medication off-label?
• The considerations that a healthcare professional/prescriber should make when evaluating off-label use of a medication.
• Steps in counseling your patient & family when using a medication off-label, that will ensure their safety, build rapport, confidence and minimize your liability risk.

Links:

AAP Statement on Off-Label Use of Drugs

Proactive Pain Solutions