Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Benjamin D. Hallowell, Laura C. Chambers, Luke Barre, Nancy Diao, Collette Onyejekwe, Alexandra Banks, Jeffery Bratberg, Heidi Weidele, Samara Viner-Brown, James McDonald
Summary: The study aimed to identify initial diagnoses associated with an elevated risk of chronic prescription opioid use. The results showed that patients with diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, diseases of the nervous system, and neoplasms had a higher likelihood of subsequent chronic prescription opioid use. Therefore, interventions and prescribing guidelines should focus on these specific types of diagnoses to reduce inappropriate opioid prescribing.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Pilar Carrasco-Garrido, Carmen Gallardo-Pino, Isabel Jimenez-Trujillo, Valentin Hernandez-Barrera, Soledad Garcia-Gomez-Heras, Lidiane Lima Florencio, Domingo Palacios-Cena
Summary: Prescription opioid use and misuse are prevalent among young adults in Spain, with higher rates observed among women. Factors associated with higher probability of prescription opioid use and misuse include misuse of tranquilizers, sedatives, and sleeping pills, as well as the use of cannabis and other illicit psychoactive drugs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Sunny Jung Kim, Reuben P. P. Retnam, Arnethea L. L. Sutton, Megan C. C. Edmonds, Dipankar Bandyopadhyay, Vanessa B. B. Sheppard
Summary: This study examined racial disparities in pain management, opioid prescriptions, symptom severity, and quality of life constructs in breast cancer survivors. The findings revealed racial differences in pain management and symptomatic outcomes, emphasizing the need for future research to understand the causes of these disparities.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Natasa Gisev, Luke Buizen, Ria E. Hopkins, Andrea L. Schaffer, Benjamin Daniels, Chrianna Bharat, Timothy Dobbins, Sarah Larney, Fiona Blyth, David C. Currow, Andrew Wilson, Sallie-Anne Pearson, Louisa Degenhardt
Summary: The objective of this population-based cohort study was to identify 5-year trajectories of prescription opioid use and examine the characteristics of each trajectory group. The results suggest that most individuals initiating treatment with prescription opioids had relatively low and time-limited exposure over a 5-year period. A small proportion of individuals had sustained or increasing use, and they were typically older with more comorbidities and higher use of psychotropic and other analgesic drugs.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jacob Shreffler, Isaac Shaw, Adam Berrones, Martin Huecker
Summary: This study examined data from 575 individuals who died of accidental opioid overdose in Jefferson County, Kentucky from 2017 to 2018, with 65.9% having prescriptions documented in KASPER. Findings suggest that reviewing PDMP data in deceased patients can prevent unnecessary opioid prescribing, and buprenorphine may have a protective effect in opioid dependence, requiring consistent access. In response to prescriptions filled for deceased individuals, legislators could consider enacting policies like VAP alerts to cancel all prescriptions for the deceased, reducing drug diversion.
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jenna R. Adalbert, Amit Syal, Karan Varshney, Brandon George, Jeffrey Hom, Asif M. Ilyas
Summary: This study found a significant decrease in opioid prescribing in Pennsylvania from 2016 to 2020 based on data from the Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). The PDMP is an important tool for tracking opioid prescribing trends, and similar PDMPs in other states may help understand and influence the trajectory of the U.S. opioid crisis. Further research is needed to determine optimal PDMP policies and practices nationwide.
BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Sarah S. Casagrande, Adan Z. Beccera, Keith F. Rust, Catherine C. Cowie
Summary: This study aimed to examine the prevalence of opioid prescriptions among U.S. Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes and identify predictors of opioid prescription for those with diabetes. The results showed that individuals with diabetes were more likely to be prescribed opioids compared to those without diabetes, but this association reversed after adjusting for comorbidities and complications.
DIABETES RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Benjamin Heritier Slovis, Jeffrey M. Riggio, Melanie Girondo, Cara Martino, Bracken Babula, Lindsey M. Roke, John C. Kairys
Summary: The study showed that modifying opioid prescribing presets in the electronic health record can improve prescribing practice patterns, reducing the duration and quantity of opioid prescriptions may decrease the risk of dependence and overdose.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Amanda L. Elmore, Omonefe O. Omofuma, Maria Sevoyan, Chelsea Richard, Jihong Liu
Summary: Women of reproductive age in the United States are prescribed opioids more frequently than men, which poses public health concerns due to associated risks during pregnancy. A study using data from 2003-2018 found a decreasing trend in prescription opioid use among women aged 15-44, but no significant change in long-term use. Recommendations include targeting demographic groups more likely to engage in long-term opioid use while promoting alternatives and monitoring for opioid use disorder.
PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Dinorah Martinez Tyson, Melody N. Chavez, Paige Lake, Ana Gutierrez, Peggie Sherry, Khary K. Rigg, Victoria K. Marshall, Heather Henderson, Barbara Lubrano di Ciccone, Sahana Rajasekhara, Smitha Pabbathi
Summary: The study explores the perceptions of opioid use and misuse in cancer survivorship within the context of the opioid epidemic. Cross-cutting themes include fear of addiction, the importance of communication and education around prescription opioid medication, preference for non-opioid alternatives, low risk perception of developing opioid use disorder among cancer survivors, and the impact of policies aiming at curbing the opioid epidemic on cancer survivors.
JOURNAL OF CANCER SURVIVORSHIP
(2021)
Article
Substance Abuse
Alexander Testa, Chantal Fahmy, Dylan B. Jackson
Summary: This study reveals that women with exposure to the correctional system in the year before giving birth have higher odds of using prescription opioids during pregnancy, and are also more likely to engage in illicit opioid use.
DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Susan L. Calcaterra, Yingbo Lou, Rachel M. Everhart, Lindsey E. Fish, Rebecca Hanratty
Summary: This study examined the association between in-clinic opioid administration and opioid receipt at discharge as well as progression to chronic opioid use in urgent care patients. The results showed that patients who received in-clinic opioids were more likely to receive opioids at discharge and had a higher risk of progressing to chronic opioid use.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Anesthesiology
A. Taylor Thomas, Kara G. Fields, Alan D. Kaye, Richard D. Urman
Summary: This study examines the factors associated with prescription opioid misuse and finds that frequency of misuse may be a risk factor for dependence. The study emphasizes the importance of monitoring for prescription opioid misuse even in instances of acute pain.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Joanna Hockenhull, Joshua C. Black, Alex Bletz, Zachary Margolin, Rick Olson, David M. Wood, Richard C. Dart, Paul I. Dargan
Summary: The study found substantial online discussions about nonmedical use of prescription opioids in the UK, including for hydrocodone which is not medically available. The most common theme in discussions was sharing experiences or opinions, with mentions also involving polysubstance use and drug diversion.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Surgery
Brian T. T. Fry, Ryan A. A. Howard, Vidhya Gunaseelan, Jay S. S. Lee, Jennifer F. F. Waljee, Michael J. J. Englesbe, Joceline V. V. Vu
Summary: In a large cohort of patients undergoing common surgical procedures, there was no significant association between opioid prescription size at discharge after surgery and patient satisfaction. This suggests that surgeons can provide smaller opioid prescriptions postoperatively without diminishing patient satisfaction.