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System Dynamics Modeling Of Medical Use, Nonmedical Use And Diversion Of Prescription Opioid Analgesics, Wayne W. Wakeland, Teresa D. Schmidt, J. David Haddox

Wayne W. Wakeland

A dramatic rise in the nonmedical of pharmaceutical opioids has presented the United States with a substantial public health problem. Nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers has become increasingly prevalent in the US over the last two decades, and diversion of medicines obtained by prescription is assumed to be a major source of supply for nonmedical opioid use. Policymakers striving to protect population health by ameliorating the adverse outcomes of nonmedical use of opioid analgesics could benefit from a systems-level model which reflects the complexity of the system and incorporates the full range of available data. To address this need, …