Conclusions
In this study of patients referred to an ED case management program for drug-seeking behavior, requesting parenteral medication and complaining of >10 out of 10 pain were most predictive of drug-seeking behavior. Reporting a non-narcotic allergy was the least predictive of drugseeking behavior, but was still more common in suspected drug-seeking patients than in controls. For the remainder of the behaviors studied, the confidence intervals were too wide to allow for meaningful interpretation of the data, and further research is needed.