RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify national opioid pain medication (OPM) prescribing trends within the Veterans Health Administration (VA), and assess the impact of educational campaigns introduced in 2010 and 2013. METHODS: We created a national cohort that documents more than 21 million patient records and 97 million outpatient OPM prescriptions covering a 17-year period. We examined OPM prescriptions in emergency departments, outpatient clinics, and inpatient settings. RESULTS: The cohort accounted for 2.5 billion outpatient clinic visits, 18.9 million emergency department visits, and 12.4 million hospital admissions. The number of OPM prescriptions peaked in 2011, when they were provided during 5% of all outpatient visits and 15% of all emergency department visits. The morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) peaked in 2014 at almost 17 billion in outpatient clinics and at 137 million in emergency departments. In 2016, OPM prescriptions were down 37% in outpatient clinics and 23% in emergency departments, and MMEs were down 30% in both settings. Prescriptions for hydrocodone and tramadol increased markedly between 2011 and 2015. OPM doses in inpatient settings continued to rise until 2015. CONCLUSIONS: We used a large national cohort to study trends in OPM prescriptions within the VA. Educational efforts to reduce the number of OPM prescriptions coincided with these reductions, but were initially associated with an increase in OPM dosage, an increase in the use of tramadol and hydrocodone, and an increase in the use of OPMs in inpatient settings.
Asunto(s)
Analgésicos Opioides/uso terapéutico , Prescripciones de Medicamentos/estadística & datos numéricos , Servicio de Urgencia en Hospital/estadística & datos numéricos , Pacientes Internos/estadística & datos numéricos , Pacientes Ambulatorios/estadística & datos numéricos , United States Department of Veterans Affairs/estadística & datos numéricos , Veteranos/estadística & datos numéricos , Adulto , Anciano , Estudios de Cohortes , Femenino , Humanos , Hidrocodona/uso terapéutico , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Morfina/uso terapéutico , Tramadol/uso terapéutico , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: This study sought to characterize national patterns for opioid pain medication (OPM) prescriptions received during emergency medical encounters in the Veterans Health Administration (VA). DESIGN: The authors conducted a retrospective study of all emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the VA between January 2009 and June 2015. We examined demographics, comorbidities, utilization measures, diagnoses, and prescriptions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The percentage of ED visits that culminated in the receipt of a prescription for an OPM. RESULTS: There were 6,721,134 emergency medical visits by 1,708,545 individuals during the study period. An OPM was prescribed during 913,872 visits (13.6 percent), and 407,408 individuals (27.5 percent) received at least one OPM prescription. Prescriptions for OPMs peaked in 2011 at 14.5 percent, declining to 12.3 percent in 2015. The percentage of prescriptions limited to 12 pills increased from 25.0 to 32.4 percent. The heaviest users (top 1.5 percent, n = 7,247) received an average 602.5 total doses, and had at least 10 ED visits during the study period. The most frequently prescribed OPMs were acetaminophen/hydrocodone, followed by tramadol and acetaminophen/oxycodone. Receiving a prescription was associated with younger patients, musculoskeletal diagnoses, higher pain scores, a history of chronic pain, a history of mental illness, a history of substance abuse, prior heavy prescription OPM use, and lower participation in outpatient services. CONCLUSIONS: The writing of OPM prescriptions after an ED visit is on the decline in the VA. Compliance with prescribing guidelines is increasing, but is not yet at goal.