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Yang N, Fang MC, Rambachan A. Sex Disparities in Opioid Prescription and Administration on a Hospital Medicine Service. J Gen Intern Med 2024:10.1007/s11606-024-08814-7. [PMID: 39120670 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-024-08814-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Decisions to prescribe opioids to patients depend on many factors, including illness severity, pain assessment, and patient age, race, ethnicity, and gender. Gender and sex disparities have been documented in many healthcare settings, but are understudied in inpatient general medicine hospital settings. OBJECTIVE We assessed for differences in opioid administration and prescription patterns by legal sex in adult patient hospitalizations from the general medicine service at a large urban academic center. DESIGNS, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This study included all adult patient hospitalizations discharged from the acute care inpatient general medicine services at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights from 1/1/2013 to 9/30/2021. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES The primary outcomes were (1) average daily inpatient opioids received and (2) days of opioids prescribed on discharge. For both outcomes, we first performed logistic regression to assess differences in whether or not any opioids were administered or prescribed. Then, we performed negative binomial regression to assess differences in the amount of opioids given. We also performed all analyses on a subgroup of hospitalizations with pain-related diagnoses. RESULTS Our study cohort included 48,745 hospitalizations involving 27,777 patients. Of these, 24,398 (50.1%) hospitalizations were female patients and 24,347 (49.9%) were male. Controlling for demographic, clinical, and hospitalization-level variables, female patients were less likely to receive inpatient opioids compared to male patents (adjusted OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.82, 0.92) and received 27.5 fewer morphine milligram equivalents per day on average (95% CI - 39.0, - 16.0). When considering discharge opioids, no significant differences were found between sexes. In the subgroup analysis of pain-related diagnoses, female patients received fewer inpatient opioids. CONCLUSIONS Female patients were less likely to receive inpatient opioids and received fewer opioids when prescribed. Future work to promote equity should identify strategies to ensure all patients receive adequate pain management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Yang
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Margaret C Fang
- Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Aksharananda Rambachan
- Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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Yarborough BJH, Stumbo SP, Schneider JL, Ahmedani BK, Daida YG, Hooker SA, Lapham GT, Negriff S, Rossom RC. Patient Perspectives on Mental Health and Pain Management Support Needed Versus Received During Opioid Deprescribing. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2024; 25:104485. [PMID: 38311195 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2024.01.350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Prescription opioid tapering has increased significantly over the last decade. Evidence suggests that tapering too quickly or without appropriate support may unintentionally harm patients. The aim of this analysis was to understand patients' experiences with opioid tapering, including support received or not received for pain control or mental health. Patients with evidence of opioid tapering from 6 health care systems participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews; family members of suicide decedents with evidence of opioid tapering were also interviewed. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants included 176 patients and 16 family members. Results showed that 24% of the participants felt their clinicians checked in with them about their taper experiences while 41% reported their clinicians did not. A majority (68%) of individuals who experienced suicide behavior during tapering reported that clinicians did check in about mood and mental health changes specifically; however, 27% of that group reported no such check-in. More individuals reported negative experiences (than positive) with pain management clinics-where patients are often referred for tapering and pain management support. Patients reporting successful tapering experiences named shared decision-making and ability to adjust taper speed or pause tapering as helpful components of care. Fifty-six percent of patients reported needing more support during tapering, including more empathy and compassion (48%) and an individualized approach to tapering (41%). Patient-centered approaches to tapering include reaching out to monitor how patients are doing, involving patients in decision-making, supporting mental health changes, and allowing for flexibility in the tapering pace. PERSPECTIVE: Patients tapering prescription opioids desire more provider-initiated communication including checking in about pain, setting expectations for withdrawal and mental health-related changes, and providing support for mental health. Patients preferred opportunities to share decisions about taper speed and to have flexibility with pausing the taper as needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bobbi Jo H Yarborough
- Science Programs Department, Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research, Portland, Oregon; Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California
| | - Scott P Stumbo
- Science Programs Department, Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research, Portland, Oregon
| | - Jennifer L Schneider
- Science Programs Department, Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research, Portland, Oregon
| | - Brian K Ahmedani
- Center for Health Policy & Health Services Research, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Yihe G Daida
- Center for Integrated Health Care Research, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
| | - Stephanie A Hooker
- Research and Evaluation Division, HealthPartners Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Gwen T Lapham
- Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California; Research Department, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
| | - Sonya Negriff
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California
| | - Rebecca C Rossom
- Research and Evaluation Division, HealthPartners Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Choo EK, Charlesworth CJ, Livingston CJ, Hartung DM, El Ibrahimi S, Kraynov L, McConnell KJ. Outcomes After a Statewide Policy to Improve Evidence-Based Treatment of Back Pain Among Medicaid Enrollees in Oregon. J Gen Intern Med 2024:10.1007/s11606-024-08776-w. [PMID: 38951321 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-024-08776-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A novel Oregon Medicaid policy guiding back pain management combined opioid restrictions with emphasis on non-opioid and non-pharmacologic therapies. OBJECTIVE To examine the effect of the policy on prescribing, health outcomes, and health service utilization. DESIGN Using Medicaid enrollment, medical and prescription claims, prescription drug monitoring program, and vital statistics files, we analyzed the policy's association with selected outcomes using interrupted time series models. SUBJECTS Adult Medicaid patients with back pain enrolled between 2014 and 2018. INTERVENTION The Oregon Medicaid back pain policy. MAIN MEASURES Opioid and non-opioid medication prescribing, procedural care, substance use and mental health conditions, and outpatient and inpatient healthcare utilization. KEY RESULTS The policy was associated with decreases in the percentage of Medicaid enrollees with back pain receiving any opioids (- 2.68 percentage points [95% CI - 3.14, - 2.23] level, - 1.01 pp [95% CI - 1.1, - 0.92] slope), days of short-acting opioid use (- 0.4 days [95% CI - 0.53, - 0.26] slope), receipt of more than 7 days of short-acting opioids (- 2.36 pp [95% CI - 2.76, - 1.95] level, - 0.91 pp [95% CI - 1, - 0.83] slope), chronic opioid use (- 1.27 pp [95% CI - 1.59, - 0.94] level, - 0.46 [95% CI - 0.53, - 0.39 slope), and spinal surgeries and procedures. Among secondary outcomes, we found no increase in opioid overdose and a small, statistically significant trend decrease in opioid use disorders. There were small increases in non-opioid substance use and mental health diagnoses and visits but no increase in self-harm. CONCLUSIONS A state Medicaid policy emphasizing evidence-based back pain management was associated with decreases in opioid prescribing, spinal surgeries, and opioid use disorder trends, but also short-term increases in mental health encounters and an increase in non-opioid substance use disorder trends. Such policies may help reinforce evidence-based care, but must be designed with consideration of potential harms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther K Choo
- Center for Policy & Research in Emergency Medicine (CPR-EM), Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
| | - Christina J Charlesworth
- Center for Health Systems Effectiveness (CHSE), Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | | | - Sanae El Ibrahimi
- Division of Research and Evaluation, Comagine Health, Portland, OR, USA
- School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | | | - K John McConnell
- Center for Health Systems Effectiveness (CHSE), Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
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Pauly BB, Kurz M, Dale LM, Macevicius C, Kalicum J, Pérez DG, McCall J, Urbanoski K, Barker B, Slaunwhite A, Lindsay M, Nosyk B. Implementation of pharmaceutical alternatives to a toxic drug supply in British Columbia: A mixed methods study. JOURNAL OF SUBSTANCE USE AND ADDICTION TREATMENT 2024; 161:209341. [PMID: 38490334 DOI: 10.1016/j.josat.2024.209341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND North America has been in an unrelenting overdose crisis for almost a decade. British Columbia (BC), Canada declared a public health emergency due to overdoses in 2016. Risk Mitigation Guidance (RMG) for prescribing pharmaceutical opioids, stimulants and benzodiazepine alternatives to the toxic drug supply ("safer supply") was implemented in March 2020 in an attempt to reduce harms of COVID-19 and overdose deaths in BC during dual declared public health emergencies. Our objective was to describe early implementation of RMG among prescribers in BC. METHODS We conducted a convergent mixed methods study drawing population-level linked administrative health data and qualitative interviews with 17 prescribers. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) informs our work. The study utilized seven linked databases, capturing the characteristics of prescribers for people with substance use disorder to describe the characteristics of those prescribing under the RMG using univariate summary statistics and logistic regression analysis. For the qualitative analysis, we drew on interpretative descriptive methodology to identify barriers and facilitators to implementation. RESULTS Analysis of administrative databases demonstrated limited uptake of the intervention outside large urban centres and a highly specific profile of urban prescribers, with larger and more complex caseloads associated with RMG prescribing. Nurse practitioners were three times more likely to prescribe than general practitioners. Qualitatively, the study identified five themes related to the five CFIR domains: 1) RMG is helpful but controversial; 2) Motivations and challenges to prescribing; 3) New options and opportunities for care but not enough to 'win the arms race'; 4) Lack of implementation support and resources; 5) Limited infrastructure. CONCLUSIONS BC's implementation of RMG was limited in scope, prescriber uptake and geographic scale up. Systemic, organizational and individual barriers and facilitators point to the importance of engaging professional regulatory colleges, implementation planning and organizational infrastructure to ensure effective implementation and adaptation to context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadette Bernie Pauly
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Ave, Victoria, BC V8N 5M8, Canada; University of Victoria School of Nursing, Box 1700 Stn CSC, Victoria, BC 250, Canada.
| | - Megan Kurz
- Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes, Providence Health Care, 570-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z IY6b, Canada.
| | - Laura M Dale
- Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes, Providence Health Care, 570-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z IY6b, Canada.
| | - Celeste Macevicius
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Ave, Victoria, BC V8N 5M8, Canada; University of Victoria School of Public Health and Social Policy, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada.
| | - Jeremy Kalicum
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Ave, Victoria, BC V8N 5M8, Canada; University of Victoria School of Public Health and Social Policy, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada.
| | - Daniel Gudiño Pérez
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Ave, Victoria, BC V8N 5M8, Canada; University of Victoria School of Public Health and Social Policy, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada.
| | - Jane McCall
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Ave, Victoria, BC V8N 5M8, Canada
| | - Karen Urbanoski
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Ave, Victoria, BC V8N 5M8, Canada; University of Victoria School of Public Health and Social Policy, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada.
| | - Brittany Barker
- School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada; First Nations Health Authority, 501 - 100 Park Royal South, 170-6371 Crescent Road, Coast Salish Territory (West Vancouver), BC V7T 1A2, Canada; Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Blusson Hall, Room 11300, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Amanda Slaunwhite
- BC Centre for Disease Control, 655 W 12th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4R4, Canada; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2206 E Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes, 570-1081 Burrard Street, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC V6Z1Y6, Canada.
| | - Morgan Lindsay
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, 2300 McKenzie Ave, Victoria, BC V8N 5M8, Canada.
| | - Bohdan Nosyk
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Blusson Hall, Room 11300, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6, Canada; Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes, Providence Health Care, 570-1081 Burrard Street, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC V6Z1Y6, Canada.
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Sabety AH, Neprash HT, Gaye M, Barnett ML. Clinical and healthcare use outcomes after cessation of long term opioid treatment due to prescriber workforce exit: quasi-experimental difference-in-differences study. BMJ 2024; 385:e076509. [PMID: 38754913 PMCID: PMC11096890 DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the association between prescriber workforce exit, long term opioid treatment discontinuation, and clinical outcomes. DESIGN Quasi-experimental difference-in-differences study SETTING: 20% sample of US Medicare beneficiaries, 2011-18. PARTICIPANTS People receiving long term opioid treatment whose prescriber stopped providing office based patient care or exited the workforce, as in the case of retirement or death (n=48 079), and people whose prescriber did not exit the workforce (n=48 079). MAIN OUTCOMES Discontinuation from long term opioid treatment, drug overdose, mental health crises, admissions to hospital or emergency department visits, and death. Long term opioid treatment was defined as at least 60 days of opioids per quarter for four consecutive quarters, attributed to the plurality opioid prescriber. A difference-in-differences analysis was used to compare individuals who received long term opioid treatment and who had a prescriber leave the workforce to propensity-matched patients on long term opioid treatment who did not lose a prescriber, before and after prescriber exit. RESULTS Discontinuation of long term opioid treatment increased from 132 to 229 per 10 000 patients who had prescriber exit from the quarter before to the quarter after exit, compared with 97 to 100 for patients who had a continuation of prescriber (adjusted difference 1.22 percentage points, 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1.42). In the first quarter after provider exit, when discontinuation rates were highest, a transient but significant elevation was noted between the two groups of patients in suicide attempts (adjusted difference 0.05 percentage points (95% confidence interval 0.01 to 0.09)), opioid or alcohol withdrawal (0.14 (0.01 to 0.27)), and admissions to hospital or emergency department visits (0.04 visits (0.01 to 0.06)). These differences receded after one to two quarters. No significant change in rates of overdose was noted. Across all four quarters after prescriber exit, an increase was reported in the rate of mental health crises (0.39 percentage points (95% confidence interval 0.08 to 0.69)) and opioid or alcohol withdrawal (0.31 (0.014 to 0.58)), but no change was seen for drug overdose (-0.12 (-0.41 to 0.18)). CONCLUSIONS The loss of a prescriber was associated with increased occurrences of discontinuation of long term opioid treatment and transient increases in adverse outcomes, such as suicide attempts, but not other outcomes, such as overdoses. Long term opioid treatment discontinuation may be associated with a temporary period of adverse health impacts after accounting for unobserved confounding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienne H Sabety
- Department of Health Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hannah T Neprash
- Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Marema Gaye
- Interfaculty Initiative in Health Policy, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael L Barnett
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health and Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
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Noreika D, Konecny M. The Pendulum: The Need to Develop a Safe, Effective, and Equitable Management Strategy for Opioids in Cancer Patients. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 2024; 17:1079-1082. [PMID: 38686131 PMCID: PMC11057629 DOI: 10.2147/rmhp.s455252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The opioid epidemic has caused major morbidity and mortality to Americans. Although there are multiple sources of this staggering issue, one inciting factor has been the use of opioids to manage pain. Although recent efforts have changed care pathways for patients with chronic pain, the first-line management of cancer pain remains opioids. Despite this, there is very little evidence and no guidelines/regulations to assist in the management of these patients. Although the literature suggests a number of current barriers to identifying and managing the challenges (such as the preferred management of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), the optimal approach to taperering, or approaches to disparities), there are no concrete strategies for providers to manage these circumstances. Investing in further research utilizing the national opioid settlement funding, exploring the equity gaps using community based participatory research and community health worker models, and increasing provider education pathways are all potential approaches to improving this issue. These solutions could help identify and address some of the gaps that affect cancer patients taking opioids for pain.
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Riviere P, Morgan KM, Deshler LN, Huang X, Marienfeld C, Coyne CJ, Rose BS, Murphy JD. Opioid tapering in older cancer survivors does not increase psychiatric or drug hospitalization rates. J Natl Cancer Inst 2024; 116:606-612. [PMID: 37971959 PMCID: PMC10995846 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid tapering in the general population is linked to increases in hospitalizations or emergency department visits related to psychiatric or drug-related diagnoses. Cancer survivors represent a unique population with different opioid indications, prescription patterns, and more frequent follow-up care. This study sought to describe patterns of opioid tapering among older cancer survivors and to test the hypothesis of whether older cancer survivors face increased risks of adverse events with opioid tapering. METHODS Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Medicare-linked database, we identified 15 002 Medicare-beneficiary cancer survivors diagnosed between 2010 and 2017 prescribed opioids consistently for at least 6 months after their cancer diagnosis. Tapering was defined as a binary time-varying event occurring with any monthly oral morphine equivalent reduction of 15% or more from the previous month. Primary diagnostic billing codes associated with emergency room or hospital admissions were used for the composite endpoint of psychiatric- or drug-related event(s). RESULTS There were 3.86 events per 100 patient-months, with 97.8% events being mental health emergencies, 1.91% events being overdose emergencies, and 0.25% involving both. Using a generalized estimating equation for repeated measure time-based analysis, opioid tapering was not statistically associated with acute events in the 3-month posttaper period (odds ratio [OR] = 1.02; P = .62) or at any point in the future (OR = 0.96; P = .46). CONCLUSIONS Opioid tapering in older cancer survivors does not appear to be linked to a higher risk of acute psychiatric- or drug-related events, in contrast to prior research in the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Riviere
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Health Equity and Education Research, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kylie M Morgan
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Health Equity and Education Research, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Leah N Deshler
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Health Equity and Education Research, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Xinyi Huang
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Carla Marienfeld
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Christopher J Coyne
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Brent S Rose
- Center for Health Equity and Education Research, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - James D Murphy
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Health Equity and Education Research, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Yarborough BJH, Stumbo SP, Schneider JL, Ahmedani BK, Daida YG, Hooker SA, Negriff S, Rossom RC, Lapham G. Impact of Opioid Dose Reductions on Patient-Reported Mental Health and Suicide-Related Behavior and Relationship to Patient Choice in Tapering Decisions. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2024; 25:1094-1105. [PMID: 37952862 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Mental health and suicide-related harms resulting from prescription opioid tapering are poorly documented and understood. Six health systems contributed opioid prescribing data from January 2016 to April 2020. Patients 18 to 70 years old with evidence of opioid tapering participated in semi-structured interviews. Individuals who experienced suicide attempts were oversampled. Family members of suicide decedents who had experienced opioid tapering were also interviewed. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study participants included 176 patients and 16 family members. Patients were 68% female, 80% White, and 15% Hispanic, mean age 58. All family members were female spouses of White, non-Hispanic male decedents. Among the subgroup (n = 60) who experienced a documented suicide attempt, reported experiencing suicidal ideation during tapering, or were family members of suicide decedents, 40% reported that opioid tapering exacerbated previously recognized mental health issues, and 25% reported that tapering triggered new-onset mental health concerns. Among participants with suicide behavior, 47% directly attributed it to opioid tapering. Common precipitants included increased pain, reduced life engagement, sleep problems, withdrawal, relationship dissolution, and negative consequences of opioid substitution with other substances for pain relief. Most respondents reporting suicide behavior felt that the decision to taper was made by the health care system or a clinician (67%) whereas patients not reporting suicide behavior were more likely to report it was their own decision (42%). This study describes patient-reported mental health deterioration or suicide behavior while tapering prescription opioids. Clinicians should screen for, monitor, and treat suicide behavior while assisting patients in tapering opioids. PERSPECTIVE: This work describes changes in patient-reported mental health and suicide behavior while tapering prescription opioids. Recommendations for improving care include mental health and suicide risk screening during and following opioid tapering.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Scott P Stumbo
- Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research, Portland, Oregon
| | | | | | | | | | - Sonya Negriff
- Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California
| | | | - Gwen Lapham
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
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Rikard SM, Nataraj N, Zhang K, Strahan A, Mikosz CA, Guy GP. Reply to Chang et al. Pain 2024; 165:960. [PMID: 38501998 PMCID: PMC11009927 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Michaela Rikard
- Division of Overdose Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Nisha Nataraj
- Division of Overdose Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Kun Zhang
- Division of Overdose Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Andrea Strahan
- Division of Overdose Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Christina A. Mikosz
- Division of Overdose Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Gery P. Guy
- Division of Overdose Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Buonora MJ, Axson SA, Cohen SM, Becker WC. Paths Forward for Clinicians Amidst the Rise of Unregulated Clinical Decision Support Software: Our Perspective on NarxCare. J Gen Intern Med 2024; 39:858-862. [PMID: 37962733 PMCID: PMC11043299 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-023-08528-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Amidst the US overdose epidemic, policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and healthcare institutions have contributed to a decrease in opioid prescribing, assuming reduced mortality would result-an assumption we now understand was oversimplified. At this intersection between public health and public safety domains as they relate to opioid prescribing, unregulated and proprietary clinical decision support tools have emerged without rigorous external validation or public data sharing. In the following piece, we discuss challenges facing clinicians practicing medicine amidst unregulated clinical decision support tools, using the case of Bamboo Health's NarxCare-a prescription drug monitoring program-based analytics platform marketed as a clinical decision support tool-that is already positioned to impact over 1 billion patient encounters annually. We argue that sufficient evidence does not yet exist to support NarxCare's wide implementation, and that clinical decision support tools like NarxCare have flourished in recent years due to a lack of federal regulatory oversight and shielding by their proprietary formulas, which have facilitated their unchecked and outsized influence on patient care. Finally, we suggest specific actions by federal regulatory agencies, healthcare institutions, individual clinicians, and researchers, as well as academic journals, to mitigate potential harms associated with unregulated clinical decision support tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele J Buonora
- National Clinician Scholars Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Internal Medicine & Program in Addiction Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- General Internal Medicine, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA.
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
| | - Sydney A Axson
- National Clinician Scholars Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- General Internal Medicine, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing and the Rock Ethics Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Shawn M Cohen
- Department of Internal Medicine & Program in Addiction Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - William C Becker
- National Clinician Scholars Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine & Program in Addiction Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Pain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities & Education Center of Innovation, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
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Wei YJJ, Winterstein AG, Schmidt S, Fillingim RB, Schmidt S, Daniels MJ, DeKosky ST. Short- and long-term safety of discontinuing chronic opioid therapy among older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Age Ageing 2024; 53:afae047. [PMID: 38497237 PMCID: PMC10945292 DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afae047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Limited evidence exists on the short- and long-term safety of discontinuing versus continuing chronic opioid therapy (COT) among patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). METHODS This cohort study was conducted among 162,677 older residents with ADRD and receipt of COT using a 100% Medicare nursing home sample. Discontinuation of COT was defined as no opioid refills for ≥90 days. Primary outcomes were rates of pain-related hospitalisation, pain-related emergency department visit, injury, opioid use disorder (OUD) and opioid overdose (OD) measured by diagnosis codes at quarterly intervals during 1- and 2-year follow-ups. Poisson regression models were fit using generalised estimating equations with inverse probability of treatment weights to model quarterly outcome rates between residents who discontinued versus continued COT. RESULTS The study sample consisted of 218,040 resident episodes with COT; of these episodes, 180,916 residents (83%) continued COT, whereas 37,124 residents (17%) subsequently discontinued COT. Discontinuing (vs. continuing) COT was associated with higher rates of all outcomes in the first quarter, but these associations attenuated over time. The adjusted rates of injury, OUD and OD were 0, 69 and 60% lower at the 1-year follow-up and 11, 81 and 79% lower at the 2-year follow-up, respectively, for residents who discontinued versus continued COT, with no difference in the adjusted rates of pain-related hospitalisations or emergency department visits. CONCLUSIONS The rates of adverse outcomes were higher in the first quarter but lower or non-differential at 1-year and 2-year follow-ups between COT discontinuers versus continuers among older residents with ADRD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Jung Jenny Wei
- Division of Outcomes and Translational Sciences, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Almut G Winterstein
- Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Safety, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Colleges of Medicine and Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Siegfried Schmidt
- Department of Community Health and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Roger B Fillingim
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Stephan Schmidt
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Michael J Daniels
- Department of Statistics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL, 32610, USA
| | - Steven T DeKosky
- Department of Neurology, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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12
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Martin SE, Hughes TD, Roller J, Ferreri SP. Assessing pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices of opioid management within different patient populations. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003) 2024; 64:414-421.e1. [PMID: 38049067 DOI: 10.1016/j.japh.2023.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Racial disparities in drug overdose exist, with black, indigenous, and Hispanic individuals experiencing higher rates of opioid overdose deaths. Opioid use disorder prevention services, such as opioid deprescribing and naloxone dispensing, have been identified as ways to prevent opioid overdose. Pharmacists can help use these strategies, but racial disparities in use exist. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate North Carolina (NC) pharmacist knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of opioid management practices, including opioid deprescribing and naloxone dispensing, across different racial and ethnic groups. METHODS This was a prospective, cross-sectional study conducted through a Web-based KAP survey distributed via e-mail to all NC pharmacists using a modified Dillman's method. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze demographics and pharmacist KAP data. Attitudes data were further analyzed using one-way analysis of variance tests and Tukey's post hoc analyses. RESULTS After applying exclusion criteria, 527 participants were eligible for analysis; 254 of these individuals completed the entire survey. The survey response rate was 15.3% and respondents were mostly female (59.1%) and white (86.6%). Approximately half of pharmacists knew the correct opioid morphine milliequivalent cutoffs considered to be high risk (47.7%) and not to be exceeded (51.9%). When asked about chronic opioid statistics within the United States, respondents overestimated that 23.70% of patients on chronic opioid therapy receive naloxone (SD = 18.93%). Pharmacists believed that black patients were more likely to adhere to an opioid taper than any other race or ethnicity and Hispanic patients were more likely to adhere to naloxone treatment than any other race or ethnicity. Finally, 91% of pharmacists knew what an opioid taper was, but 77% of pharmacists had never designed one. CONCLUSIONS Gaps in knowledge may contribute to further disparities in opioid management. Pharmacists' attitudes may contribute to biases in opioid management practices and practices related to opioid deprescribing may limit the pharmacists' current role. More education is needed so pharmacists can play an increased role in opioid management across all patient populations.
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Henry SG, Fang SY, Crawford AJ, Wintemute GJ, Tseregounis IE, Gasper JJ, Shev A, Cartus AR, Marshall BDL, Tancredi DJ, Cerdá M, Stewart SL. Impact of 30-day prescribed opioid dose trajectory on fatal overdose risk: A population-based, statewide cohort study. J Gen Intern Med 2024; 39:393-402. [PMID: 37794260 PMCID: PMC10897080 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-023-08419-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Both increases and decreases in patients' prescribed daily opioid dose have been linked to increased overdose risk, but associations between 30-day dose trajectories and subsequent overdose risk have not been systematically examined. OBJECTIVE To examine the associations between 30-day prescribed opioid dose trajectories and fatal opioid overdose risk during the subsequent 15 days. DESIGN Statewide cohort study using linked prescription drug monitoring program and death certificate data. We constructed a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model that accounted for time-varying prescription-, prescriber-, and pharmacy-level factors. PARTICIPANTS All patients prescribed an opioid analgesic in California from March to December, 2013 (5,326,392 patients). MAIN MEASURES Dependent variable: fatal drug overdose involving opioids. Primary independent variable: a 16-level variable denoting all possible opioid dose trajectories using the following categories for current and 30-day previously prescribed daily dose: 0-29, 30-59, 60-89, or ≥90 milligram morphine equivalents (MME). KEY RESULTS Relative to patients prescribed a stable daily dose of 0-29 MME, large (≥2 categories) dose increases and having a previous or current dose ≥60 MME per day were associated with significantly greater 15-day overdose risk. Patients whose dose decreased from ≥90 to 0-29 MME per day had significantly greater overdose risk compared to both patients prescribed a stable daily dose of ≥90 MME (aHR 3.56, 95%CI 2.24-5.67) and to patients prescribed a stable daily dose of 0-29 MME (aHR 7.87, 95%CI 5.49-11.28). Patients prescribed benzodiazepines also had significantly greater overdose risk; being prescribed Z-drugs, carisoprodol, or psychostimulants was not associated with overdose risk. CONCLUSIONS Large (≥2 categories) 30-day dose increases and decreases were both associated with increased risk of fatal opioid overdose, particularly for patients taking ≥90 MME whose opioids were abruptly stopped. Results align with 2022 CDC guidelines that urge caution when reducing opioid doses for patients taking long-term opioid for chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen G Henry
- University of California Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research; University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA.
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA.
| | - Shao-You Fang
- University of California Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research; University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
| | - Andrew J Crawford
- Violence Prevention Research Program; University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
| | - Garen J Wintemute
- Violence Prevention Research Program; University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
| | - Iraklis Erik Tseregounis
- University of California Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research; University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
| | - James J Gasper
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Aaron Shev
- Violence Prevention Research Program; University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
| | - Abigail R Cartus
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Rhode Island, Providence, USA
| | - Brandon D L Marshall
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Rhode Island, Providence, USA
| | - Daniel J Tancredi
- University of California Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research; University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis, California, Sacramento, USA
| | - Magdalena Cerdá
- Department of Population Health, Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy; New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Susan L Stewart
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, Davis, USA
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14
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Wei YJ, Winterstein AG, Schmidt S, Fillingim RB, Daniels MJ, Solberg L, DeKosky ST. Pain intensity, physical function, and depressive symptoms associated with discontinuing long-term opioid therapy in older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Alzheimers Dement 2024; 20:1026-1037. [PMID: 37855270 PMCID: PMC10916940 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Limited evidence exists on the associations of discontinuing versus continuing long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) with pain intensity, physical function, and depression among patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). METHODS A cohort study among 138,059 older residents with mild-to-moderate ADRD and receipt of LTOT was conducted using a 100% Medicare nursing home sample. Discontinuation of LTOT was defined as no opioid refills for ≥ 60 days. Outcomes were worsening pain, physical function, and depression from baseline to quarterly assessments during 1- and 2-year follow-ups. RESULTS The adjusted odds of worsening pain and depressive symptoms were 29% and 5% lower at the 1-year follow-up and 35% and 9% lower at the 2-year follow-up for residents who discontinued versus continued LTOT, with no difference in physical function. DISCUSSION Discontinuing LTOT was associated with lower short- and long-term worsening pain and depressive symptoms than continuing LTOT among older residents with ADRD. HIGHLIGHTS Discontinuing long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) was associated with lower short- and long-term worsening pain. Discontinuing LTOT was related to lower short- and long-term worsening depression. Discontinuing LTOT was not associated with short- and long-term physical function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu‐Jung Jenny Wei
- Division of Outcomes and Translational SciencesCollege of PharmacyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Almut G. Winterstein
- Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and PolicyCollege of PharmacyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
- Center for Drug Evaluation and SafetyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
- Department of EpidemiologyColleges of Medicine and Public Health & Health ProfessionsUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Siegfried Schmidt
- Department of Community Health and Family MedicineCollege of MedicineUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Roger B. Fillingim
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of ExcellenceUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Michael J. Daniels
- Department of StatisticsCollege of Liberal Arts and SciencesUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Laurence Solberg
- North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health SystemMalcom Randall Department of Veterans Affairs Medical CenterGeriatrics Research, Education, Clinical Center (GRECC)GainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Steven T. DeKosky
- Department of NeurologyMcKnight Brain InstituteUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
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15
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Edmond SN, Wesolowicz DM, Snow JL, Currie S, Jankelovits A, Chhabra MS, Becker WC. Qualitative Analysis of Patient Perspectives of Buprenorphine After Transitioning From Long-Term, Full-Agonist Opioid Therapy Among Veterans With Chronic Pain. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2024; 25:132-141. [PMID: 37549775 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Guidelines recommend consideration of modification, tapering, or discontinuation of long-term, full-agonist opioid therapy when harms outweigh benefits; one alternative to tapering or discontinuing full-agonist opioids for the management of chronic pain is switching to the partial agonist buprenorphine. As the use of buprenorphine for pain expands, understanding the patient experience during and after the transition to buprenorphine is critical. We conducted 45- to 60-minute semistructured qualitative interviews with 19 patients to understand the experiences of patients with chronic pain actively maintained on buprenorphine after previously receiving full-agonist, long-term opioid therapy. Patients were recruited from 2 medical centers via provider referral. Through thematic analysis, 5 overall themes were identified, including satisfaction with buprenorphine, the importance of preconceptions about buprenorphine, experiences with transitions, patient-provider communication, and potential contributions to racial disparities in pain care. While we heard a range of experiences, most patients were satisfied with buprenorphine, reporting either equivalent pain control to their previous regimens or reporting less analgesia but improved functioning due to a reduction in side effects (eg, mental clarity). Patients also emphasized the importance of a nonjudgmental, patient-centered approach, including education about the risks and benefits of buprenorphine. The few Black patients interviewed all reported limited access to pain care, which is consistent with the well-documented existence of racial disparities in access to pain treatment. As buprenorphine is used more frequently for pain management, provider education focused on pain treatment disparities, patient-centered approaches informed by motivational interviewing, and increasing acceptance of buprenorphine as an option for pain are needed. PERSPECTIVE: Qualitative analyses of patient experiences transitioning from full-agonist opioids to buprenorphine for chronic pain revealed general satisfaction. Patients reflected on functioning, tradeoffs between analgesia and side effects, patient-centered care, and access to treatment, highlighting how future research should focus on outcomes valued by patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara N Edmond
- Pain Research Informatics Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Danielle M Wesolowicz
- Pain Research Informatics Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Jennifer L Snow
- Pain Research Informatics Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut
| | | | | | - Manik S Chhabra
- Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - William C Becker
- Pain Research Informatics Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut; Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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16
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Leyton M, Krausz RM. Ending the overdose epidemic by ending the war on drug users: Can this work? J Psychiatry Neurosci 2024; 49:E77-E80. [PMID: 38383036 PMCID: PMC10890790 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.240003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Leyton
- From the Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neurology & Neurosurgery (Leyton), McGill University; Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology (Leyton), Concordia University; Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment (Leyton), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Que.; Faculty of Medicine (Krausz), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - R Michael Krausz
- From the Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neurology & Neurosurgery (Leyton), McGill University; Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology (Leyton), Concordia University; Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment (Leyton), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Que.; Faculty of Medicine (Krausz), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
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17
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Xu S, Narwaney KJ, Nguyen AP, Binswanger IA, McClure DL, Glanz JM. An individual segmented trajectory approach for identifying opioid use patterns using longitudinal dispensing data. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2024; 33:e5708. [PMID: 37814576 PMCID: PMC10841826 DOI: 10.1002/pds.5708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this study is to use electronic opioid dispensing data to develop an individual segmented trajectory approach for identifying opioid use patterns. The resulting opioid use patterns can be used for examining the association between opioid use and drug overdose. METHODS We retrospectively assembled a cohort of members on long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) between January 1, 2006 and June 30, 2019 who were 18 years and older and enrolled in one of three health care systems in the US. We have developed an individual segmented trajectory analysis for identifying various opioid use patterns by scanning over the follow-up and finding distinct opioid use patterns based on variability measured with coefficient of variation and trends of milligram morphine equivalents levels. RESULTS Among 31, 865 members who were on LTOT between January 1, 2006 and June 30, 2019, 58.3% were female, and the average age was 55.4 years (STD = 15.4). The study population had 152 557 person-years of follow-up, with an average follow-up of 4.4 years per enrollment per person (STD = 3.4). This novel approach identified up to 13 distinct patterns including 88 756 episodes of "stable" pattern (42.1%) with an average follow-up of 11.2 months, 29 140 episodes of "increasing" pattern (13.8%) with an average follow-up of 6.0 months, 13 201 episodes of ≤10% dose reduction (6.3%) with an average follow-up of 10.4 months, 7286 episodes of 11%-20% dose reduction (3.5%) with an average follow-up of 5.3 months, 4457 episodes of 21%-30% dose reduction (2.1%) with an average follow-up of 4.0 months, and 9903 episodes of >30% dose reduction (4.7%) with an average follow-up of 2.6 months. CONCLUSIONS A novel approach was developed to identify 13 distinct opioid use patterns using each individual's longitudinal dispensing data and these patterns can be used in examining overdose risk during the time that these patterns are ongoing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley Xu
- Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Komal J Narwaney
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Anh P Nguyen
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Ingrid A Binswanger
- Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California, USA
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Chemical Dependency Treatment Services, Colorado Permanente Medical Group, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - David L McClure
- Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jason M Glanz
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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18
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Guilcher SJT, Cimino SR, Tadrous M, McCarthy LM, Riad J, Tricco AC, Hagens S, Lien J, Tharmalingam S, Gomes T. Experiences and Outcomes of Using e-Prescribing for Opioids: Rapid Scoping Review. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e49173. [PMID: 38153776 PMCID: PMC10784986 DOI: 10.2196/49173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND e-Prescribing is designed to assist in facilitating safe and appropriate prescriptions for patients. Currently, it is unknown to what extent e-prescribing for opioids influences experiences and outcomes. To address this gap, a rapid scoping review was conducted. OBJECTIVE This rapid scoping review aims to (1) explore how e-prescribing has been used clinically; (2) examine the effects of e-prescribing on clinical outcomes, the patient or clinician experience, service delivery, and policy; and (3) identify current gaps in the present literature to inform future studies and recommendations. METHODS A rapid scoping review was conducted following the guidance of the JBI 2020 scoping review methodology and the World Health Organization guide to rapid reviews. A comprehensive literature search was completed by an expert librarian from inception until November 16, 2022. Three databases were electronically searched: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), and Scopus (Elsevier). The search criteria were as follows: (1) e-prescribing programs targeted to the use or misuse of opioids, including those that were complemented or accompanied by clinically focused initiatives, and (2) a primary research study of experimental, quasi-experimental, observational, qualitative, or mixed methods design. An additional criterion of an ambulatory component of e-prescribing (eg, e-prescribing occurred upon discharge from acute care) was added at the full-text stage. No language limitations or filters were applied. All articles were double screened by trained reviewers. Gray literature was manually searched by a single reviewer. Data were synthesized using a descriptive approach. RESULTS Upon completing screening, 34 articles met the inclusion criteria: 32 (94%) peer-reviewed studies and 2 (6%) gray literature documents (1 thesis study and 1 report). All 33 studies had a quantitative component, with most highlighting e-prescribing from acute care settings to community settings (n=12, 36%). Only 1 (3%) of the 34 articles provided evidence on e-prescribing in a primary care setting. Minimal prescriber, pharmacist, and clinical population characteristics were reported. The main outcomes identified were related to opioid prescribing rates, alerts (eg, adverse drug events and drug-drug interactions), the quantity and duration of opioid prescriptions, the adoption of e-prescribing technology, attitudes toward e-prescribing, and potential challenges with the implementation of e-prescribing into clinical practice. e-Prescribing, including key features such as alerts and dose order sets, may reduce prescribing errors. CONCLUSIONS This rapid scoping review highlights initial promising results with e-prescribing and opioid therapy management. It is important that future work explores the experience of prescribers, pharmacists, and patients using e-prescribing for opioid therapy management with an emphasis on prescribers in the community and primary care. Developing a common set of quality indicators for e-prescribing of opioids will help build a stronger evidence base. Understanding implementation considerations will be of importance as the technology is integrated into clinical practice and health systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara J T Guilcher
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephanie R Cimino
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mina Tadrous
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lisa M McCarthy
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Jessica Riad
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrea C Tricco
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Epidemiology Division, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Tara Gomes
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Manhapra A, MacLean RR, Rosenheck R, Becker WC. Are opioids effective analgesics and is physiological opioid dependence benign? Revising current assumptions to effectively manage long-term opioid therapy and its deprescribing. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2023. [PMID: 37990580 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.15972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
A re-examination of clinical principles of long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) for chronic pain is long overdue amid the ongoing opioid crisis. Most patients on LTOT report ineffectiveness (poor pain control, function and health) but still find deprescribing challenging. Although prescribed as analgesics, opioids more likely provide pain relief primarily through reward system actions (enhanced relief and motivation) and placebo effect and less through antinociceptive effects. The unavoidable physiologic LTOT dependence can automatically lead to a paradoxical worsening of pain, disability and medical instability (maladaptive opioid dependence) without addiction due to allostatic opponent neuroadaptations involving reward/antireward and nociceptive/antinociceptive systems. This opioid-induced chronic pain syndrome (OICP) can persist/progress whether LTOT dose is maintained at the same level, increased, decreased or discontinued. Current conceptualization of LTOT as a straightforward long-term analgesic therapy appears incongruous in view of the complex mechanisms of opioid action, LTOT dependence and OICP. LTOT can be more appropriately conceptualized as therapeutic induction and maintenance of an adaptive LTOT dependence for functional improvement irrespective of analgesic benefits. Adaptive LTOT dependence should be ideally used for a limited time to achieve maximum functional recovery and deprescribed while maintaining functional gains. Patients on LTOT should be regularly re-evaluated to identify if maladaptive LTOT dependence with OICP has diminished any functional gains or leads to ineffectiveness. Ineffective LTOT (with maladaptive LTOT dependence) should be modified to make it safer and more effective. An adequately functional life without opioids is the ideal healthy long-term goal for both LTOT initiation and LTOT modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajay Manhapra
- Section of Pain Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Sciences, Hampton VA Medical Center, Hampton, Virginia, USA
- New England Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Psychiatry, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
| | - R Ross MacLean
- New England Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Robert Rosenheck
- New England Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - William C Becker
- Program in Addiction Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Pain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities & Education Center of Innovation, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Liebschutz JM, Subramaniam GA, Stone R, Appleton N, Gelberg L, Lovejoy TI, Bunting AM, Cleland CM, Lasser KE, Beers D, Abrams C, McCormack J, Potter GE, Case A, Revoredo L, Jelstrom EM, Kline MM, Wu LT, McNeely J. Subthreshold opioid use disorder prevention (STOP) trial: a cluster randomized clinical trial: study design and methods. Addict Sci Clin Pract 2023; 18:70. [PMID: 37980494 PMCID: PMC10657560 DOI: 10.1186/s13722-023-00424-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preventing progression to moderate or severe opioid use disorder (OUD) among people who exhibit risky opioid use behavior that does not meet criteria for treatment with opioid agonists or antagonists (subthreshold OUD) is poorly understood. The Subthreshold Opioid Use Disorder Prevention (STOP) Trial is designed to study the efficacy of a collaborative care intervention to reduce risky opioid use and to prevent progression to moderate or severe OUD in adult primary care patients with subthreshold OUD. METHODS The STOP trial is a cluster randomized controlled trial, randomized at the PCP level, conducted in 5 distinct geographic sites. STOP tests the efficacy of the STOP intervention in comparison to enhanced usual care (EUC) in adult primary care patients with risky opioid use that does not meet criteria for moderate-severe OUD. The STOP intervention consists of (1) a practice-embedded nurse care manager (NCM) who provides patient participant education and supports primary care providers (PCPs) in engaging and monitoring patient-participants; (2) brief advice, delivered to patient participants by their PCP and/or prerecorded video message, about health risks of opioid misuse; and (3) up to 6 sessions of telephone health coaching to motivate and support behavior change. EUC consists of primary care treatment as usual, plus printed overdose prevention educational materials and an educational video on cancer screening. The primary outcome measure is self-reported number of days of risky (illicit or nonmedical) opioid use over 180 days, assessed monthly via text message using items from the Addiction Severity Index and the Current Opioid Misuse Measure. Secondary outcomes assess other substance use, mental health, quality of life, and healthcare utilization as well as PCP prescribing and monitoring behaviors. A mixed effects negative binomial model with a log link will be fit to estimate the difference in means between treatment and control groups using an intent-to-treat population. DISCUSSION Given a growing interest in interventions for the management of patients with risky opioid use, and the need for primary care-based interventions, this study potentially offers a blueprint for a feasible and effective approach to improving outcomes in this population. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04218201, January 6, 2020.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane M Liebschutz
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Center for Research On Health Care, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, Suite 933W, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
| | | | - Rebecca Stone
- Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Noa Appleton
- Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lillian Gelberg
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Travis I Lovejoy
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Amanda M Bunting
- Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Charles M Cleland
- Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Karen E Lasser
- Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Donna Beers
- Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Gail E Potter
- The Emmes Company, LLC, Rockville, MD, USA
- Biostatistics Research Branch, NIH/NIAID, Rockville, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Li-Tzy Wu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jennifer McNeely
- Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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21
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Castellanos S, Cooke A, Koenders S, Joshi N, Miaskowski C, Kushel M, Knight KR. Accounting for the interplay of interpersonal and structural trauma in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain, opioid use disorder, and mental health in urban safety-net primary care clinics. SSM - MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 4:100243. [PMID: 38464953 PMCID: PMC10923552 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2023.100243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
While the epidemiological literature recognizes associations between chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), opioid use disorder (OUD), and interpersonal trauma stemming from physical, emotional, sexual abuse or neglect, the complex etiologies and interplay between interpersonal and structural traumas in CNCP populations are underexamined. Research has documented the relationship between experiencing multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the likelihood of developing an OUD as an adult. However, the ACEs framework is criticized for failing to name the social and structural contexts that shape ACE vulnerabilities in families. Social scientific theory and ethnographic methods offer useful approaches to explore how interpersonally- and structurally-produced traumas inform the experiences of co-occurring CNCP, substance use, and mental health. We report findings from a qualitative and ethnographic longitudinal cohort study of patients with CNCP (n = 48) who received care in safety-net settings and their primary care providers (n = 23). We conducted semi-structured interviews and clinical and home-based participant observation from 2018 to 2020. Here we focus our analyses on how patients and providers explained and situated the role of patient trauma in the larger clinical context of reductions in opioid prescribing to highlight the political landscape of the United States opioid overdose crisis and its impact on clinical interactions. Findings reveal the disproportionate burden structurally-produced, racialized trauma places on CNCP, substance use and mental health symptoms that shapes patients' embodied experiences of pain and substance use, as well as their emotional experiences with their providers. Experiences of trauma impacted clinical care trajectories, yet providers and patients expressed limited options for redress. We argue for an adaptation of trauma-informed care approaches that contextualize the structural determinants of trauma and their interplay with interpersonal experiences to improve clinical care outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy Castellanos
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California - San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0850, United States
| | - Alexis Cooke
- Department of Community Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of California - San Francisco, 2 Koret Way, N505, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0608, United States
| | - Sedona Koenders
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California - San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0850, United States
| | - Neena Joshi
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California - San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0850, United States
| | - Christine Miaskowski
- Department of Physiological Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California - San Francisco, 2 Koret Way, 631, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0610, United States
| | - Margot Kushel
- Center for Vulnerable Populations at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California -San Francisco, UCSF Box 1339, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0608, United States
| | - Kelly Ray Knight
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California - San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0850, United States
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22
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Kennedy-Hendricks A, Eddelbuettel JCP, Bicket MC, Meiselbach MK, Hollander MAG, Busch AB, Huskamp HA, Stuart EA, Barry CL, Eisenberg MD. Impact of High Deductible Health Plans on U.S. Adults With Chronic Pain. Am J Prev Med 2023; 65:800-808. [PMID: 37187443 PMCID: PMC10592566 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2023.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Chronic pain affects an estimated 20% of U.S. adults. Because high-deductible health plans have captured a growing share of the commercial insurance market, it is unknown how high-deductible health plans impact care for chronic pain. METHODS Using 2007-2017 claims data from a large national commercial insurer, statistical analyses conducted in 2022-2023 estimated changes in enrollee outcomes before and after their firm began offering a high-deductible health plan compared with changes in outcomes in a comparison group of enrollees at firms never offering a high-deductible health plan. The sample included 757,530 commercially insured adults aged 18-64 years with headache, low back pain, arthritis, neuropathic pain, or fibromyalgia. Outcomes, measured at the enrollee year level, included the probability of receiving any chronic pain treatment, nonpharmacologic pain treatment, and opioid and nonopioid prescriptions; the number of nonpharmacologic pain treatment days; number and days' supply of opioid and nonopioid prescriptions; and total annual spending and out-of-pocket spending. RESULTS High-deductible health plan offer was associated with a 1.2 percentage point reduction (95% CI= -1.8, -0.5) in the probability of any chronic pain treatment and an $11 increase (95% CI=$6, $15) in annual out-of-pocket spending on chronic pain treatments among those with any use, representing a 16% increase in average annual out-of-pocket spending over the pre-high deductible health plan offer annual average. Results were driven by changes in nonpharmacologic treatment use. CONCLUSIONS By reducing the use of nonpharmacologic chronic pain treatments and marginally increasing out-of-pocket costs among those using these services, high-deductible health plans may discourage more holistic, integrated approaches to caring for patients with chronic pain conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alene Kennedy-Hendricks
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; Johns Hopkins Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Mental Health, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
| | - Julia C P Eddelbuettel
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Mark C Bicket
- Department of Anesthesiology and Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Mark K Meiselbach
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Mara A G Hollander
- Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina
| | - Alisa B Busch
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Haiden A Huskamp
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Elizabeth A Stuart
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; Johns Hopkins Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Mental Health, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Colleen L Barry
- Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Matthew D Eisenberg
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; Johns Hopkins Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Mental Health, Matthew Eisenberg's, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
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23
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Li Y, Barr KD, Trafton JA, Oliva EM, Garrido MM, Frakt AB, Strombotne KL. Impact of Mandated Case Review Policy on Opioid Discontinuation and Mortality Among High-Risk Long-Term Opioid Therapy Patients: The STORM Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Subst Abus 2023; 44:292-300. [PMID: 37830514 DOI: 10.1177/08897077231198299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) has its own risks, opioid discontinuation could pose harm for high-risk Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients receiving LTOT. There is limited information on the impact of a mandate requiring providers to perform case reviews on high-risk patients with an active opioid prescription (ie, mandated case review policy) on opioid discontinuation and mortality. METHODS Our study is a secondary data analysis of a 23-month stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial between April 2018 and March 2020. The study included 10 685 LTOT patients with a predicted risk of a serious adverse event between the top 1% to 5% nationally who entered the risk range between 4/18/2018 and 11/9/2019. We examined whether the mandated case review policy had an impact on opioid discontinuation and mortality for the patients. RESULTS Among 10 685 LTOT patients (88.2% male; mean [SD] age, 61.1 [11.7] years), 29.1% experienced discontinuation and the mortality rate was 9.5%. Patients under mandated case review had a decreased risk of opioid discontinuation (average marginal effect [AME], -11.16 [95% CI, -15.30 to -7.01] percentage points) and all-cause mortality (AME, -3.31 [95% CI, -5.63 to -1.00] percentage points), relative to patients who were not under the mandate. CONCLUSIONS The VHA mandated case review policy was associated with lower probability of discontinuation and all-cause mortality for high-risk patients receiving LTOT. Interventions that maintain care engagement while optimizing pain management for high-risk patients may be beneficial for minimizing mortality and other risks associated with discontinuation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufei Li
- Department of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kyle D Barr
- Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jodie A Trafton
- Program Evaluation and Resource Center, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Administration, Menlo Park, CA, USA
- Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Veterans Health Administration, Menlo Park, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical School, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Oliva
- Program Evaluation and Resource Center, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Administration, Menlo Park, CA, USA
- Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Veterans Health Administration, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Melissa M Garrido
- Department of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Austin B Frakt
- Department of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kiersten L Strombotne
- Department of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
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24
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Cooke A, Castellanos S, Koenders S, Joshi N, Enriquez C, Olsen P, Miaskowski C, Kushel M, Knight KR. The intersection of drug use discrimination and racial discrimination in the management of chronic non-cancer pain in United States primary care safety-net clinics: Implications for healthcare system and clinic-level changes. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 250:110893. [PMID: 37459819 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinicians' bias related to patients' race and substance use history play a role in pain management. However, patients' or clinicians' understandings about discriminatory practices and the structural factors that contribute to and exacerbate these practices are underexamined. We report on perceptions of discrimination from the perspectives of patients with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) and a history of substance use and their clinicians within the structural landscape of reductions in opioid prescribing in the United States. METHODS We interviewed 46 clinicians and 94 patients, using semi-structured interview guides, from eight safety-net primary care clinics across the San Francisco Bay Area from 2013 to 2020. We used a modified grounded theory approach to code and analyze transcripts. RESULTS Clinicians discussed using opioid prescribing guidelines with the goals of increased opioid safety and reduced bias in patient monitoring. While patients acknowledged the validity of clinicians' concerns about opioid safety, they indicated that clinicians made assumptions about opioid misuse towards Black patients and patients suspected of substance use. Clinicians discussed evidence of discrimination in opioid prescribing at the clinic-wide level; racialized stereotypes about patients likely to misuse opioids; and their own struggles to overcome discriminatory practices regarding CNCP management. CONCLUSION While clinicians and patients acknowledged opioid safety concerns, the practical application of opioid prescribing guidelines impacted how patients perceived and engaged with CNCP care particularly for patients who are Black and/or report a history of substance use. We recommend healthcare system and clinic-level interventions that may remediate discriminatory practices and associated disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Cooke
- Department of Community Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of California-San Francisco, 2 Koret Way, N505, San Francisco, CA94143-0608, United States
| | - Stacy Castellanos
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco490 Illinois Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA94143-0850, United States
| | - Sedona Koenders
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco490 Illinois Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA94143-0850, United States
| | - Neena Joshi
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco490 Illinois Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA94143-0850, United States
| | - Celeste Enriquez
- Center for Vulnerable Populations at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California-San FranciscoUCSF Box 1339, San Francisco, CA94143-0608, United States
| | - Pamela Olsen
- Center for Vulnerable Populations at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California-San FranciscoUCSF Box 1339, San Francisco, CA94143-0608, United States
| | - Christine Miaskowski
- Department of Physiological Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California-San Francisco2 Koret Way, Rm 631, San Francisco, CA94143-0610, United States
| | - Margot Kushel
- Center for Vulnerable Populations at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California-San FranciscoUCSF Box 1339, San Francisco, CA94143-0608, United States
| | - Kelly R Knight
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco490 Illinois Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA94143-0850, United States.
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25
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Xu Y, Zheng X, Li Y, Ye X, Cheng H, Wang H, Lyu J. Exploring patient medication adherence and data mining methods in clinical big data: A contemporary review. J Evid Based Med 2023; 16:342-375. [PMID: 37718729 DOI: 10.1111/jebm.12548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasingly, patient medication adherence data are being consolidated from claims databases and electronic health records (EHRs). Such databases offer an indirect avenue to gauge medication adherence in our data-rich healthcare milieu. The surge in data accessibility, coupled with the pressing need for its conversion to actionable insights, has spotlighted data mining, with machine learning (ML) emerging as a pivotal technique. Nonadherence poses heightened health risks and escalates medical costs. This paper elucidates the synergistic interaction between medical database mining for medication adherence and the role of ML in fostering knowledge discovery. METHODS We conducted a comprehensive review of EHR applications in the realm of medication adherence, leveraging ML techniques. We expounded on the evolution and structure of medical databases pertinent to medication adherence and harnessed both supervised and unsupervised ML paradigms to delve into adherence and its ramifications. RESULTS Our study underscores the applications of medical databases and ML, encompassing both supervised and unsupervised learning, for medication adherence in clinical big data. Databases like SEER and NHANES, often underutilized due to their intricacies, have gained prominence. Employing ML to excavate patient medication logs from these databases facilitates adherence analysis. Such findings are pivotal for clinical decision-making, risk stratification, and scholarly pursuits, aiming to elevate healthcare quality. CONCLUSION Advanced data mining in the era of big data has revolutionized medication adherence research, thereby enhancing patient care. Emphasizing bespoke interventions and research could herald transformative shifts in therapeutic modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixian Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinkai Zheng
- Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanjie Li
- Planning & Discipline Construction Office, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinmiao Ye
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongtao Cheng
- School of Nursing, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hao Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jun Lyu
- Department of Clinical Research, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Informatization, Guangzhou, China
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26
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Gallant TL, Gilbert AR, Zargham S, Lorenzo MFD, Puglisi JL, Nicholas ZR, Gerriets VA. Impact of California Statute on Naloxone Availability and Opioid Overdose Rates. AJPM FOCUS 2023; 2:100112. [PMID: 37790675 PMCID: PMC10546523 DOI: 10.1016/j.focus.2023.100112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Ensuring that people at risk of overdosing on opioids have easy access to naloxone is an essential part of the fight against the opioid crisis. This study evaluates the impact of the 2016 California law (CA AB1535) permitting pharmacies to dispense this life-saving medication without a physician's prescription. Methods California counties were categorized on the basis of population density (rural, suburban, urban), rate of opioid-related deaths by population density (high, medium, low), and rate of opioid prescriptions by population density (high, medium, low). Ten diverse pharmacies from each category were selected for inclusion. In a brief 1-minute interview conducted between July and August 2021, pharmacists from 146 California pharmacies were surveyed regarding their knowledge of CA AB1535, their practice of dispensing naloxone without a physician's prescription, and whether they normally stock naloxone. Chi-square tests were used to compare responses. Results Although almost all pharmacies interviewed (94%) were aware of the law and most of them (64%) dispensed naloxone without a physician's prescription, few statistically significant differences were found between surveyed categories. There were no significant relationships between naloxone availability at pharmacies and overdose death rates. Conclusions Our results suggest that the number of California pharmacies dispensing naloxone without a physician's prescription has continued to increase since the implementation of CA AB1535. However, despite increased access to naloxone at pharmacies, opioid overdose rates have continued to rise since 2016, indicating the need for a multifaceted harm reduction approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara L. Gallant
- Department of Basic Science, California Northstate University College of Medicine, Elk Grove, California
| | - Andrew R. Gilbert
- Department of Basic Science, California Northstate University College of Medicine, Elk Grove, California
| | - Sina Zargham
- Department of Basic Science, California Northstate University College of Medicine, Elk Grove, California
| | - Michael F. Di Lorenzo
- Department of Basic Science, California Northstate University College of Medicine, Elk Grove, California
| | - Jose L. Puglisi
- Department of Basic Science, California Northstate University College of Medicine, Elk Grove, California
| | - Zachary R. Nicholas
- Department of Basic Science, California Northstate University College of Medicine, Elk Grove, California
| | - Valerie A. Gerriets
- Department of Basic Science, California Northstate University College of Medicine, Elk Grove, California
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27
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Lo Bianco G, Schatman ME. "The Italian Job": How Social, Family Cohesion, and the Church Have Helped Spare Italy from a Prescription Opioid Crisis. J Pain Res 2023; 16:2939-2942. [PMID: 37664486 PMCID: PMC10473396 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s435218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Giuliano Lo Bianco
- Anesthesiology and Pain Department, Fondazione Istituto “G. Giglio”, Cefalù, Palermo, Italy
| | - Michael E Schatman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Population Health - Division of Medical Ethics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Swartz JA, Franceschini D, Scamperle K. Mental health and substance use disorder comorbidities among Medicaid beneficiaries: Associations with opioid use disorder and prescription opioid misuse. AIMS Public Health 2023; 10:658-677. [PMID: 37842281 PMCID: PMC10567978 DOI: 10.3934/publichealth.2023046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Medicaid presently insures about one-fourth of the US population and disproportionately insures about 38 % of non-elderly adults with an opioid use disorder (OUD). Owing to Medicaid's prominent role insuring persons with an OUD and that Medicaid coverage includes pharmaceutical benefits, there has been considerable interest in studying potential prescription opioid misuse among Medicaid beneficiaries and identifying subpopulations at higher risk for misuse and possible progression to an OUD. Methods The study goals were to explore the associations among prescription opioid misuse, OUD, and co-occurring mental health and other substance use disorders (SUD). We analyzed Illinois Medicaid 2018 claims data for 1102479 adult beneficiaries 18 to 64 years of age. Using algorithms based on previous studies, we first determined either the presence or absence of nine SUDS (including OUD), nine mental health disorders and likely prescription opioid misuse. Then, we subdivided the beneficiary sample into five groups: those who were prescribed opioids and evidenced either no, possible, or probable misuse; those evidencing an OUD; and those evidencing no opioid use or misuse. Results Bivariate analyses, upset plots, and multinomial logistic regressions were used to compare the five subgroups on the prevalence of co-occurring SUDS and mental health disorders. Those with an OUD or with probable prescription opioid misuse had the highest prevalence of most co-occurring conditions with beneficiaries with an OUD the most likely to evidence co-occurring SUDS, particularly tobacco use disorder, whereas those with probable misuse had elevated prevalence rates of co-occurring mental health disorders comparable to those with an OUD. Conclusion The medical complexity of persons with an OUD or misusing prescription opioids are considered in light of recent attempts to expand buprenorphine provision as a medication for OUD among Medicaid beneficiaries. Additionally, we consider the possibility of gender, co-occurring mental health disorders, and tobacco use disorder as important risk factors for progressing to prescription opioid misuse and an OUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Swartz
- Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois Chicago
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29
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Abstract
In 2022, the CDC revised its and encourage clinicians to weight the risks versus harms of continued therapy and empathetically engage patients in patient-centered discussions around continued therapy while avoiding patient abandonment. This commentary discusses how the emphasis on "benefit" will almost always lead to discordance between the patient and provider since many clinicians find little benefit in opioid therapy for chronic pain with evidence questioning its efficacy for chronic pain. This disagreement between patients and providers has the potential to lead to unilateral tapers or patient abandonment and further increase patient harm. Considering this dilemma, we propose a revised framework that emphasizes weighing the harms of continuation of therapy against the harms of discontinuation of therapy when caring for patients on long-term opioid therapy. This revised harm-reductive decisional framework has the potential to retain patient-provider trust and increase opportunities for engagement in evidence-based multi-modal pain treatment, including non-opioid based treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Lagisetty
- University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Stefan Kertesz
- Birmingham VA Health Care system, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Heersink UAB School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
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Glanz JM, Xu S, Narwaney KJ, McClure DL, Rinehart DJ, Ford MA, Nguyen AP, Binswanger IA. Association Between Opioid Dose Reduction Rates and Overdose Among Patients Prescribed Long-Term Opioid Therapy. Subst Abus 2023; 44:209-219. [PMID: 37702046 DOI: 10.1177/08897077231186216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tapering long-term opioid therapy is an increasingly common practice, yet rapid opioid dose reductions may increase the risk of overdose. The objective of this study was to compare overdose risk following opioid dose reduction rates of ≤10%, 11% to 20%, 21% to 30%, and >30% per month to stable dosing. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study in three health systems in Colorado and Wisconsin. Participants were patients ≥18 years of age prescribed long-term opioid therapy between January 1, 2006, and June 30, 2019. Five opioid dosing patterns and drug overdoses (fatal and nonfatal) were identified using electronic health records, pharmacy records, and the National Death Index. Cox proportional hazard regression was conducted on a propensity score-weighted cohort to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for follow-up periods of 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after a dose reduction. RESULTS In a cohort of 17 540 patients receiving long-term opioid therapy, 42.7% of patients experienced a dose reduction. Relative to stable dosing, a dose reduction rate of >30% was associated with an increased risk of overdose and the aHR estimates decreased as the follow-up increased; the aHRs for the 1-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups were 5.33 (95% CI, 1.98-14.34), 1.81 (95% CI,1.08-3.03), and 1.49 (95% CI, 0.97-2.27), respectively. The slower tapering rates were not associated with overdose risk. CONCLUSIONS Patients receiving long-term opioid therapy exposed to dose reduction rates of >30% per month had increased overdose risk relative to patients exposed to stable dosing. Results support the use of slow dose reductions to minimize the risk of overdose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason M Glanz
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Stanley Xu
- Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Komal J Narwaney
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - David L McClure
- Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, WI, USA
| | - Deborah J Rinehart
- Center for Health Systems Research, Office of Research, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Denver, CO, USA
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Morgan A Ford
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Anh P Nguyen
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Ingrid A Binswanger
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- Chemical Dependency Treatment Services, Colorado Permanente Medical Group, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, CA, USA
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Nielsen S, Picco L, Russell G, Pearce C, Andrew NE, Lubman DI, Bell JS, Buchbinder R, Xia T. Changes in opioid and other analgesic prescribing following voluntary and mandatory prescription drug monitoring program implementation: A time series analysis of early outcomes. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2023; 117:104053. [PMID: 37209441 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Australian prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) provide information about a patient's recent medication history for controlled drugs at the point of prescribing and dispensing. Despite their increasing use, the evidence for PDMPs is mixed, and is almost exclusively from the United States. This study examined the impact of PDMP implementation on opioid prescribing among general practitioners in Victoria, Australia. METHOD We examined data on analgesic prescribing using electronic records of 464 medical practices in the Australian state of Victoria between 01/04/2017 and 31/12/ 2020. We used interrupted time series analyses, to examine immediate and longer-term trends in medication prescribing following voluntary (from April 2019) and mandatory PDMP implementation (from April 2020). We examined changes in three outcomes (i) 'high' opioid dose (50-100mg oral morphine equivalent daily dose (OMEDD) and over 100mg (OMEDD) prescribing (ii) prescribing of high-risk medication combinations (opioids with either benzodiazepines or pregabalin), and (iii) initiation of non-controlled pain medications (tricyclic antidepressants, pregabalin and tramadol). RESULTS We found no effect of voluntary or mandatory PDMP implementation on 'high-dose' opioid prescribing with reductions only seen in those prescribed <20mg OMEDD (i.e., the lowest dose category). Co-prescribing of opioids with benzodiazepines (additional 11.87 [95%CI 2.04 to 21.67] patients/10,000 and pregabalin (additional 3.54 [95% CI 0.82 to 6.26] patients/10,000 increased following mandatory PDMP implementation among those prescribed opioids. In contrast to trends of reduced initiation prior to PDMP implementation, we found increased new initiation of non-monitored medications following PDMP implementation (e.g., an immediate increase of 2.32 [95%CI 0.02 to 4.54], patients/10,000 received pregabalin and 3.06 [95%CI 0.54 to 5.5] patients/10,000 received tricyclic antidepressants after mandatory PDMP implementation), and increased tramadol initiation during the voluntary PDMP period (an increase of 11.26 [95%CI: 5.84, 16.67] patients /10,000). CONCLUSION PDMP implementation did not appear to reduce prescribing of high opioid doses or high-risk combinations. Increased initiation of tricyclic antidepressants, pregabalin and tramadol may indicate a possible unintended effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Nielsen
- Monash Addiction Research Centre, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Louisa Picco
- Monash Addiction Research Centre, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Grant Russell
- Department of General Practice, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Nadine E Andrew
- Peninsula Clinical School, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Dan I Lubman
- Monash Addiction Research Centre, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Turning Point, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - J Simon Bell
- Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rachelle Buchbinder
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ting Xia
- Monash Addiction Research Centre, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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Wilkerson AH, Sharma M, Davis RE, Stephens PM, Kim RW, Bhati D, Nahar VK. Predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors associated with opioid addiction helping behaviour in tri-state Appalachian counties: application of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model-cross-sectional analysis. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e066147. [PMID: 37192792 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The overdose epidemic was designated a 'Public Health Emergency' in the USA on 26 October 2017, bringing attention to the severity of this public health problem. The Appalachian region remains substantially impacted by the effects from years of overprescription of opioids, and subsequently opioid non-medical use and addiction. This study aims to examine the utility of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model constructs (ie, predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors) to explain opioid addiction helping behaviour (ie, helping someone who has an opioid addiction) among members of the public living in tri-state Appalachian counties. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Rural county in the Appalachian region of the USA. PARTICIPANTS A total of 213 participants from a retail mall in a rural Appalachian Kentucky county completed the survey. Most participants were between the ages of 18 and 30 years (n=68; 31.9%) and identified as men (n=139; 65.3%). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE Opioid addiction helping behaviour. RESULTS The regression model was significant (F (6, 180)=26.191, p<0.001) and explained 44.8% of the variance in opioid addiction helping behaviour (R2=0.448). Attitude towards helping someone with opioid addiction (B=0.335; p<0.001), behavioural skills (B=0.208; p=0.003), reinforcing factors (B=0.190; p=0.015) and enabling factors (B=0.195; p=0.009) were all significantly associated with opioid addiction helping behaviour. CONCLUSIONS PRECEDE-PROCEED model constructs have utility to explain opioid addiction helping behaviour among individuals in a region greatly impacted by the overdose epidemic. This study provides an empirically tested framework for future programmes addressing helping behaviour related to opioid non-medical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda H Wilkerson
- Department of Health Science, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Manoj Sharma
- Department of Social and Behavioral Health, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
| | - Robert E Davis
- Substance Use and Mental Health Laboratory, Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
| | - Philip M Stephens
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Center for Animal and Human Health in Appalachia, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, Tennessee, USA
| | - Richard W Kim
- Center for Animal and Human Health in Appalachia, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Deepak Bhati
- Casualty Section, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, India
| | - Vinayak K Nahar
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine/John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
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Nguyen T, Li Y, Greene D, Stancliff S, Quackenbush N. Changes in Prescribed Opioid Dosages Among Patients Receiving Medical Cannabis for Chronic Pain, New York State, 2017-2019. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2254573. [PMID: 36716026 PMCID: PMC9887491 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.54573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Patients with chronic pain often receive long-term opioid therapy (LOT), which places them at risk of opioid use disorder and overdose. This presents the need for alternative or companion treatments; however, few studies on the association of medical cannabis (MC) with reducing opioid dosages exist. OBJECTIVE To assess changes in opioid dosages among patients receiving MC for longer duration compared with shorter duration. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study of New York State Prescription Monitoring Program data from 2017 to 2019 included patients receiving MC for chronic pain while also receiving opioid treatment. Of these, patients receiving LOT prior to receiving MC were selected. Individuals were studied for 8 months after starting MC. Data were analyzed from November 2021 to February 2022. EXPOSURES Selected patients were divided into 2 groups based on the duration of receiving MC: the nonexposure group received MC for 30 days or fewer, and the exposure group received MC for more than 30 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcome was opioid dosage, measured by mean daily morphine milligram equivalent (MME). Analyses were conducted for 3 strata by opioid dosage prior to receiving MC: MME less than 50, MME of 50 to less than 90, and MME of 90 or greater. RESULTS A total of 8165 patients were included, with 4041 (median [IQR] age, 57 [47-65] years; 2376 [58.8%] female) in the exposure group and 4124 (median [IQR] age, 54 (44-62) years; 2370 [57.5%] female) in the nonexposure group. Median (IQR) baseline MMEs for the exposure vs nonexposure groups were 30.0 (20.0-40.0) vs 30.0 (20.0-40.0) in the lowest stratum, 60.0 (60.0-70.0) vs 60.0 (60.0-90.0) in the middle stratum, and 150.0 (100.0-216.2) vs 135.0 (100.0-218.0) in the highest stratum. During follow-up, significantly greater reductions in opioid dosage were observed among the exposure group. A dose-response association of patients' opioid dosage at baseline was observed with the differences in the monthly MME reductions between exposure and nonexposure groups, with a difference of -1.52 (95% CI, -1.67 to -1.37) MME for the lowest stratum, -3.24 (95% CI, -3.61 to -2.87) MME for the middle stratum, and -9.33 (95% CI, -9.89 to -8.77) MME for the highest stratum. The daily MME for the last month of the follow-up period among patients receiving longer MC was reduced by 48% in the lowest stratum, 47% in the middle stratum, and 51% in the highest stratum compared with the baseline dosages. Among individuals in the nonexposure group, daily MME was reduced by only 4% in the lowest stratum, 9% in the middle stratum, and 14% in the highest stratum. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cohort study of patients receiving LOT, receiving MC for a longer duration was associated with reductions in opioid dosages, which may lower their risk of opioid-related morbidity and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trang Nguyen
- New York State Department of Health, Albany
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University at Albany School of Public Health, Rensselaer, New York
| | - Yunshu Li
- New York State Department of Health, Albany
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University at Albany School of Public Health, Rensselaer, New York
| | - Danielle Greene
- City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, New York
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Falise AM, Sharma V, Hoeflich CC, Lopez-Quintero C, Striley CW. Screening the "Invisible Population" of Older Adult Patients for Prescription Pain Reliever Non-Medical Use and Use Disorders. Subst Use Misuse 2022; 58:153-159. [PMID: 36519790 PMCID: PMC10104763 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2022.2148483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Background: In the United States, the number of older adults reporting non-medical use of prescription pain relievers (NMUPPR) between 2015 and 2019 has remained constant, while those meeting criteria for opioid use disorders (OUDs) between 2013 and 2018 increased three-fold. These rates are expected to increase due to increased life expectancy among this population coupled with higher rates of substance use. However, they have consistently lower screening rates for problematic prescription pain reliever use, compared to younger cohorts. Objectives: This commentary reviewed trends in older adult NMUPPR and OUDs and reviewed several available screening tools. We then considered reasons why providers may not be screening their patients, with a focus on older adults, for NMUPPR and OUDs. Finally, we provided recommendations to increase screenings in healthcare settings. Results: Low screening rates in older adult patients may be due to several contributing factors, such as providers' implicit biases and lack of training, time constraints, and comorbid conditions that mask NMUPPR and OUD-related symptoms. Recommendations include incorporating more addiction-related curricula in medical schools, encouraging participation in CME training focused on substance use, attending implicit bias training, and breaking down the silos between pharmacy and geriatric, addiction, and family medicine. Conclusions: There is a growing need for older adult drug screenings, and we have provided several recommendations for improvement. By increasing screenings among older populations, providers will assist in the identification and referral of patients to appropriate and timely substance use treatment and resources to ultimately ameliorate the health of older adult patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa M. Falise
- Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health & Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Vinita Sharma
- Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health & Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Carolin C. Hoeflich
- Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health & Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Catalina Lopez-Quintero
- Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health & Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Catherine W. Striley
- Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health & Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Kennedy MC, Crabtree A, Nolan S, Mok WY, Cui Z, Chong M, Slaunwhite A, Ti L. Discontinuation and tapering of prescribed opioids and risk of overdose among people on long-term opioid therapy for pain with and without opioid use disorder in British Columbia, Canada: A retrospective cohort study. PLoS Med 2022; 19:e1004123. [PMID: 36454732 PMCID: PMC9714711 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The overdose crisis in North America has prompted system-level efforts to restrict opioid prescribing for chronic pain. However, little is known about how discontinuing or tapering prescribed opioids for chronic pain shapes overdose risk, including possible differential effects among people with and without concurrent opioid use disorder (OUD). We examined associations between discontinuation and tapering of prescribed opioids and risk of overdose among people on long-term opioid therapy for pain, stratified by diagnosed OUD and prescribed opioid agonist therapy (OAT) status. METHODS AND FINDINGS For this retrospective cohort study, we used a 20% random sample of residents in the provincial health insurance client roster in British Columbia (BC), Canada, contained in the BC Provincial Overdose Cohort. The study sample included persons aged 14 to 74 years on long-term opioid therapy for pain (≥90 days with ≥90% of days on therapy) between October 2014 and June 2018 (n = 14,037). At baseline, 7,256 (51.7%) persons were female, the median age was 55 years (quartile 1-3: 47-63), 227 (1.6%) persons had been diagnosed with OUD (in the past 3 years) and recently (i.e., in the past 90 days) been prescribed OAT, and 483 (3.4%) had been diagnosed with OUD but not recently prescribed OAT. The median follow-up duration per person was 3.7 years (quartile 1-3: 2.6-4.0). Marginal structural Cox regression with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to estimate the effect of prescribed opioid treatment for pain status (discontinuation versus tapered therapy versus continued therapy [reference]) on risk of overdose (fatal or nonfatal), stratified by the following groups: people without diagnosed OUD, people with diagnosed OUD receiving OAT, and people with diagnosed OUD not receiving OAT. In marginal structural models with IPTW adjusted for a range of demographic, prescription, comorbidity, and social-structural exposures, discontinuing opioids (i.e., ≥7-day gap[s] in therapy) was associated with increased overdose risk among people without OUD (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] = 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12, 1.83; p = 0.004), people with OUD not receiving OAT (AHR = 3.18; 95% CI 1.87, 5.40; p < 0.001), and people with OUD receiving OAT (AHR = 2.52; 95% CI 1.68, 3.78; p < 0.001). Opioid tapering (i.e., ≥2 sequential decreases of ≥5% in average daily morphine milligram equivalents) was associated with decreased overdose risk among people with OUD not receiving OAT (AHR = 0.31; 95% CI 0.14, 0.67; p = 0.003). The main study limitations are that the outcome measure did not capture overdose events that did not result in a healthcare encounter or death, medication dispensation may not reflect medication adherence, residual confounding may have influenced findings, and findings may not be generalizable to persons on opioid therapy in other settings. CONCLUSIONS Discontinuing prescribed opioids was associated with increased overdose risk, particularly among people with OUD. Prescribed opioid tapering was associated with reduced overdose risk among people with OUD not receiving OAT. These findings highlight the need to avoid abrupt discontinuation of opioids for pain. Enhanced guidance is needed to support prescribers in implementing opioid therapy tapering strategies with consideration of OUD and OAT status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Clare Kennedy
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Social Work, University of British Columbia–Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Alexis Crabtree
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Seonaid Nolan
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Wing Yin Mok
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zishan Cui
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mei Chong
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Amanda Slaunwhite
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lianping Ti
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Buonora MJ, Hanna DB, Zhang C, Bachhuber MA, Moir LH, Salvi PS, Cunningham CO, Starrels JL. U.S. state policies on opioid prescribing during the peak of the prescription opioid crisis: Associations with opioid overdose mortality. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2022; 110:103888. [PMID: 36270085 PMCID: PMC9742344 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In response to the opioid overdose crisis in the United States, many states implemented policies to guide opioid prescribing, but their impact on overdose mortality (prescription and non-prescription) remains poorly understood. We examined the impact of U.S. state opioid-prescribing policies on opioid overdose mortality following implementation. METHODS We calculated opioid overdose mortality rates from 1999-2016 by U.S. state using the CDC WONDER database, overall and separately for overdose deaths from prescription and non-prescription opioids. For each state, policies active on 1/1/2014 were reviewed for the presence and strength of six provisions recommending judicious opioid prescribing practices; "strong" provisions used the words "should," "shall," or "must". Interrupted time series (ITS) tested the association of each strong provision with overdose mortality, overall and separately for prescription and non-prescription opioids, in the two years following implementation. Sensitivity analyses compared between states, used time-lagged analyses, and excluded synthetic opioids from non-prescription opioid deaths. RESULTS All six provisions had consistent direction of effect in ITS and sensitivity analyses. Strong provisions for prescriber training and limits on opioid dose reduced the slope of overall and prescription opioid overdose mortality in both ITS and sensitivity analyses. Reduced non-prescription opioid overdose mortality was only associated with strong provision for prescriber training. Some provisions had a negative impact. In ITS, strong provision for prescriber response to misuse increased the slope of non-prescription opioid overdose mortality. Strong provision for mandatory prescription drug monitoring program use had no relationship with overdose mortality in ITS and was associated with increased overall, prescription and non-prescription opioid overdose mortality in between-state sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSION Opioid prescribing policies in U.S. states at the peak of the prescription opioid epidemic had modest mortality benefit, and did not reduce non-prescription opioid overdose mortality. A strong provision for prescriber training was the only provision associated with reduced prescription and non-prescription opioid overdose mortality. These findings can inform future efforts addressing prescription drug epidemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele J Buonora
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA; National Clinician Scholars Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Departments of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System & Yale University School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, USA.
| | - David B Hanna
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Chenshu Zhang
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Marcus A Bachhuber
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA; Department of Medicine, Section of Community and Population Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Lorlette H Moir
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA; Infectious Disease Prevention, Investigation & Care Services Section, Bureau of Infectious Disease Control, Division of Public Health Services, New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, NH, USA
| | - Pooja S Salvi
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Chinazo O Cunningham
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Joanna L Starrels
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
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Dowell D, Ragan KR, Jones CM, Baldwin GT, Chou R. CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain - United States, 2022. MMWR Recomm Rep 2022; 71:1-95. [PMID: 36327391 PMCID: PMC9639433 DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.rr7103a1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 453] [Impact Index Per Article: 226.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
This guideline provides recommendations for clinicians providing pain care, including those prescribing opioids, for outpatients aged ≥18 years. It updates the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain - United States, 2016 (MMWR Recomm Rep 2016;65[No. RR-1]:1-49) and includes recommendations for managing acute (duration of <1 month), subacute (duration of 1-3 months), and chronic (duration of >3 months) pain. The recommendations do not apply to pain related to sickle cell disease or cancer or to patients receiving palliative or end-of-life care. The guideline addresses the following four areas: 1) determining whether or not to initiate opioids for pain, 2) selecting opioids and determining opioid dosages, 3) deciding duration of initial opioid prescription and conducting follow-up, and 4) assessing risk and addressing potential harms of opioid use. CDC developed the guideline using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. Recommendations are based on systematic reviews of the scientific evidence and reflect considerations of benefits and harms, patient and clinician values and preferences, and resource allocation. CDC obtained input from the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (a federally chartered advisory committee), the public, and peer reviewers. CDC recommends that persons with pain receive appropriate pain treatment, with careful consideration of the benefits and risks of all treatment options in the context of the patient's circumstances. Recommendations should not be applied as inflexible standards of care across patient populations. This clinical practice guideline is intended to improve communication between clinicians and patients about the benefits and risks of pain treatments, including opioid therapy; improve the effectiveness and safety of pain treatment; mitigate pain; improve function and quality of life for patients with pain; and reduce risks associated with opioid pain therapy, including opioid use disorder, overdose, and death.
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Binswanger IA, Shetterly SM, Xu S, Narwaney KJ, McClure DL, Rinehart DJ, Nguyen AP, Glanz JM. Opioid Dose Trajectories and Associations With Mortality, Opioid Use Disorder, Continued Opioid Therapy, and Health Plan Disenrollment. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2234671. [PMID: 36197665 PMCID: PMC9535531 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.34671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Uncertainty remains about the longer-term benefits and harms of different opioid management strategies, such as tapering and dose escalation. For instance, opioid tapering could help patients reduce opioid exposure to prevent opioid use disorder, but patients may also seek care elsewhere and engage in nonprescribed opioid use. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between opioid dose trajectories observed in practice and patient outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective cohort study was conducted in 3 health systems in Colorado and Wisconsin. The study population included patients receiving long-term opioid therapy between 50 and 200 morphine milligram equivalents between August 1, 2014, and July 31, 2017. Follow-up ended on December 31, 2019. Data were analyzed from January 2020 to August 2022. EXPOSURES Group-based trajectory modeling identified 5 dosing trajectories over 1 year: 1 decreasing, 1 high-dose increasing, and 3 stable. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Primary outcomes assessed after the trajectory period were 1-year all-cause mortality, incident opioid use disorder, continued opioid therapy at 1 year, and health plan disenrollment. Associations were tested using Cox proportional hazards regression and log-binomial models, adjusting for baseline covariates. RESULTS A total of 3913 patients (mean [SD] age, 59.2 [14.4] years; 2767 White non-Hispanic [70.7%]; 2237 female patients [57.2%]) were included in the study. Compared with stable trajectories, the decreasing dose trajectory was negatively associated with opioid use disorder (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.40; 95% CI, 0.29-0.55) and continued opioid therapy (site 1: adjusted relative risk [aRR], 0.39; 95% CI, 0.34-0.44), but was positively associated with health plan disenrollment (aHR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.24-2.22). The decreasing trajectory was not associated with mortality (aHR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.87-1.86). In contrast, the high-dose increasing trajectory was positively associated with mortality (aHR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.44-3.32) and opioid use disorder (aHR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.39-2.37) but was not associated with disenrollment (aHR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.56-1.42) or continued opioid therapy (site 1: aRR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.94-1.03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cohort study, decreasing opioid dose was associated with reduced risk of opioid use disorder and continued opioid therapy but increased risk of disenrollment compared with stable dosing, whereas the high-dose increasing trajectory was associated with an increased risk of mortality and opioid use disorder. These findings can inform opioid management decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid A. Binswanger
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora
- Chemical Dependency Treatment Services, Colorado Permanente Medical Group, Aurora
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora
- Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California
| | | | - Stanley Xu
- Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena
| | | | - David L. McClure
- Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, Marshfield, Wisconsin
| | - Deborah J. Rinehart
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora
- Center for Health Systems Research, Office of Research, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Denver, Colorado
| | - Anh P. Nguyen
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora
| | - Jason M. Glanz
- Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora
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Edmond SN, Wesolowicz DM, Moore BA, Ibarra J, Chhabra M, Fraenkel L, Becker WC. Opioid tapering support using a web-based app: Development and protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials 2022; 119:106857. [PMID: 35863697 DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2022.106857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Given limited efficacy and potential harms of long-term opioid therapy, it is patient-centered and guideline-concordant to offer patients the opportunity to engage in a supportive, patient-centered tapering program. The goal of this study was to develop and pilot an interactive web-based program designed to support patients willing to consider an opioid taper; this manuscript describes the development and the protocol for a pilot randomized trial of Summit. METHODS We used intervention mapping to develop the Summit program; during the development period we engaged multiple stakeholder groups and conducted usability testing to refine the interactive, theory-informed, multi-component mobile website program which includes education, video testimonials, self-management skills, and access to a peer specialist. We will evaluate the Summit program in a two-arm, 9 month randomized-controlled trial where 64 individuals will be assigned either to the Summit program or to a control group (pain tracking app). As a pilot trial, the primary outcomes are feasibility and acceptability; we will also measure patient-reported outcomes related to pain, quality of life, and opioid use. IMPLICATIONS We developed an interactive program; results of the pilot trial are pending. If shown to be effective, Summit would be useful both in augmenting care for patients who are engaged in a taper with primary care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara N Edmond
- Pain Research Informatics Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America.
| | - Danielle M Wesolowicz
- Pain Research Informatics Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Brent A Moore
- Pain Research Informatics Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Ibarra
- Pain Research Informatics Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Manik Chhabra
- Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Liana Fraenkel
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America; Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield, MA, United States of America
| | - William C Becker
- Pain Research Informatics Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States of America; Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
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Schatman ME, Kooharian K, Guerrero P. Violence Against Pain Care Providers: The Frightening Future of American Pain Medicine? J Pain Res 2022; 15:2025-2027. [PMID: 35923838 PMCID: PMC9341333 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s381331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Schatman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Population Health – Division of Medical Ethics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Correspondence: Michael E Schatman, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 550 1st Ave, New York, NY, 10016, USA, Tel +1 425-647-4880, Email
| | | | - Patricia Guerrero
- Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Tufts School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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Error in Third Author's Name. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2224285. [PMID: 35838678 PMCID: PMC9287754 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.24285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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