The South Dakota State Board of Pharmacy has implemented a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) designed to track the dispensing of controlled drugs. South Dakota is now one of 43 states using a PDMP in an effort to reduce the diversion and improper use of these drugs while ensuring their availability for legitimate use. Prescribers and pharmacists are able to use the patient information in the system in a variety of ways including detecting substance abuse problems, supplementing the patient’s evaluation, confirming the patient’s drug history, and documenting the patient’s adherence to medication therapy.

The South Dakota PDMP database includes all retail and outpatient dispensing records, except emergency room-dispensed quantities for 48 hours or less. In addition to drugs dispensed by South Dakota pharmacies, it also includes drugs dispensed to South Dakota residents by nonresident pharmacies. If a prescriber or pharmacist has a concern about a patient, he or she can look up the patient’s history in the South Dakota PDMP. The database will show the controlled drugs the patient has received within the specified time period, the prescriber’s name, and where the drugs were dispensed. Information will be available in seconds. Prescribers and pharmacists must register with the South Dakota PDMP and request access in order to utilize the online service.

The Board encourages pharmacists to use information from the South Dakota PDMP database to assist them in making well informed decisions when dispensing controlled drug prescriptions to patients.