Journal article
The 1-Year Treatment Course of New Opioid Recipients in Veterans Health Administration
Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), Vol.17(7), pp.1282-1291
07/01/2016
DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnw058
PMID: 27048346
Abstract
Abstract
Background. Understanding opioid prescribing trends requires differentiating clinically distinct short- and long-term receipt patterns.
Objectives. Describe the one-year course of opioid receipt among new opioid recipients and determine the proportion with subsequent long-term opioid therapy. Discern variation in proportion with long-term therapy initiation by geographic region and across Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical centers.
Methods. Longitudinal course of opioid receipt was analyzed using a cabinet supply approach. Short-term receipt was defined as index treatment episode lasting no longer than 30 days; long-term therapy as treatment episode of >90 days that began within the first 30 days following opioid index date.
Patients. All VHA pharmacy users in 2004 and to 2011 who received a new prescription for an opioid (incident opioid recipients) preceded by 365 days with no opioid prescribed.
Results. The proportion of all incident recipients who met the definition for long-term therapy within the first year decreased from 20.4% (N = 76,280) in 2004 to 18.3% (N = 96,166) in 2011. The proportion of incident recipients with chronic pain was unchanged between 2004 and 2011. Hydrocodone and tramadol increased as a proportion of initial opioids prescribed. Median days initially supplied decreased from 30 to 20 days. A greater percentage of new opioid prescriptions were for 7 days or fewer (20.9% in 2004; 27.9% in 2011). The proportion of new recipients who initiated long-term opioid therapy varied widely by medical center. Medical centers with higher proportions of new long-term recipients in 2004 saw greater decreases in this metric by 2011.
Conclusion. The proportion of new opioid recipients who initiated long-term opioid therapy declined between 2004 and 2011.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The 1-Year Treatment Course of New Opioid Recipients in Veterans Health Administration
- Creators
- Hilary J Mosher - Center for Comprehensive Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) at the Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IowaKelly K Richardson - Center for Comprehensive Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) at the Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IowaBrian C Lund - Center for Comprehensive Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) at the Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), Vol.17(7), pp.1282-1291
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- DOI
- 10.1093/pm/pnw058
- PMID
- 27048346
- ISSN
- 1526-2375
- eISSN
- 1526-4637
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/01/2016
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology; General Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984094535702771
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