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The opioid epidemic is a serious and growing crisis that continues to threaten global health.
In fact, according to the data of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 45,000 Americans have died from opioid overdoses in 2017 (1). Also, Prescription opioids often become initiation medications leading individuals to heavier medications such as heroin and morphine.
So, how can we curb this growing epidemic? It has been revealed that the increasing number of prescriptions written by physicians for the treatment of pain is one of the contributing factors. In fact, these prescriptions have been multiplied by five since 1999 (2).
In order to cope with the increasing number of prescriptions, the DCC has revised their guidelines and advised doctors not to treat opioids as the first drug of choice for pain management. They also recommended that first prescriptions begin with a three-day supply and at the lowest dose.
Alas, a recent study found that the CDC's efforts to deal with the opioid crisis seem to be paying off.
The study on the prescriptions of opioids
Researchers at Harvard Medical School set out to monitor opioid prescribing rates.
For this study, the researchers badyzed the insurance claims of the Axis axis of the BCBS, which is the largest collection of commercial insurance claims, medico-professional information and information on the cost of care. The researchers then identified nearly 64 million patients who had never received opioids. They then estimated the monthly incidence of the number of people who were receiving an opioid prescription for the first time, a long-term prescription or a high-dose prescription, and to who had been prescribed opioids in the past six months. in 2016, the team focused on the period between 2012 and 2017.
An economist and badociate professor of health policy at Harvard, Nicole Maestas led the study. She believes that prescribing badysis for the first time is a great way to reduce the opioid epidemic,
"We look at the beginning of the road and say, "Let's stop the person who has just had an operation from having an unused bottle of pills in the medicine cabinet., "she explained.
The results
The badysis revealed a significant decrease in the prescription rate of opioids for the first time.
Specifically, the study found that the number of opioid prescriptions prescribed for three days decreased by 57%. The number of prescriptions also decreased by 68% for seven days.
"This study provides good news needed on opioids, " said lead co-author Wenjia Zhu.
However, despite declining prescriptions, researchers found that some doctors did not understand the message. These doctors were primary care physicians in private practice and 80% of them were responsible for high-risk prescriptions,
"It's good news that some providers are changing their behavior, but not everyone is doing it. The data suggests that some might use additional education on this issue." said Maestas.
The verdict
Although the study underscores the validity of the concern over opioid use, it has drawbacks, however. First, the team was unable to determine which opioid prescriptions were appropriate for the patient's pain,
"It is difficult to determine the severity of pain from claim data alone, and orders that deviate from CDC guidelines are not necessarily medically inappropriate, even though they are badociated with a higher risk. high side effects, " they said in a statement.
In addition, the study did not examine in depth the alternative pain management tools offered to patients, who were not prescribed opioids, which raises the concern of whether their doctor subcontracted or not their pain.
"The challenge we face is nothing short of complex: halting the epidemic of opioids while ensuring that pain is properly treated, Says Maestas,It is a question of balance between the justified use of powerful badgesics and the risk of opioid abuse and opioid abuse.. The ultimate goal should be to create safer prescription interventions by balancing the importance of pain relief with the risks of opioid treatment, rather than an all-or-nothing approach."
You can find out more about the study here.
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