A patient who sees multiple medical professionals for multiple prescriptions for controlled substances is commonly described as what?

A patient who sees multiple medical professionals for multiple prescriptions for controlled substances is commonly described as what?

• A. Doctor shopping
• B. Prescription seeking
• C. Polypharmacy
• D. Multi-prescribing

Answer: (A)

The behavior described is best captured by the term doctor shopping. This phrase specifically describes a patient who seeks prescriptions for controlled substances from multiple clinicians, often to obtain more medication or to avoid detection of their other prescriptions. It signals a pattern of obtaining multiple prescriptions across different providers, which is a red flag for misuse, abuse, or diversion and is something monitored through prescription monitoring programs. In contrast, polypharmacy refers to taking many medications, which can be appropriate and prescribed by one or more doctors, but does not inherently involve shopping for prescriptions from multiple sources.

The behavior described is best captured by the term doctor shopping. This phrase specifically describes a patient who seeks prescriptions for controlled substances from multiple clinicians, often to obtain more medication or to avoid detection of their other prescriptions. It signals a pattern of obtaining multiple prescriptions across different providers, which is a red flag for misuse, abuse, or diversion and is something monitored through prescription monitoring programs. In contrast, polypharmacy refers to taking many medications, which can be appropriate and prescribed by one or more doctors, but does not inherently involve shopping for prescriptions from multiple sources.