Impact of initiatives to reduce prescription opioid risks on medically attended injuries in people using chronic opioid therapy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to determine whether initiatives to improve the safety of opioid prescribing decreased injuries in people using chronic opioid therapy (COT). METHODS: We conducted an interrupted time series analysis using data from Group Health (GH), an integrated health care delivery system in the United States. In 2007, GH implemented initiatives which substantially reduced daily opioid dose and increased patient monitoring. Among GH members age 18 or older receiving COT between 2006 and 2014, we compared injury rates for patients in GH's integrated group practice (IGP; exposed to the initiatives) vs patients cared for by contracted providers (not exposed). Injuries were identified using a validated algorithm. We calculated injury incidence during the baseline (preintervention) period from 2006 to 2007; the dose reduction period, 2008 to 2010; and the risk stratification and monitoring period, 2010 to 2014. Using modified Poisson regression, we estimated adjusted relative risks (RRs) representing the relative change per year in injury rates. RESULTS: Among 21 853 people receiving COT in the IGP and 8260 in contracted care, there were 2679 injuries during follow-up. The baseline injury rate was 1.0% per calendar quarter in the IGP and 0.9% in contracted care. Risk reduction initiatives did not decrease injury rates: Within the IGP, the RR in the dose reduction period was 1.01 (95% CI, 0.95-1.07) and in the risk stratification and monitoring period, 0.99 (95% CI, 0.95-1.04). Injury trends did not differ between the two care settings. CONCLUSIONS: Risk reduction initiatives did not decrease injuries in people using COT.

Hispanic Mothers' Experiences with School-Based Emotional Health Curriculum and Perspectives of Their Own Mental Health Needs.

An Emotional Health Curriculum (EHC) was developed to promote positive mental health in primarily Hispanic elementary school-aged children. In order to further expand the EHC, the mothers' experiences with the curriculum were examined. Eighteen mothers participated in two focus groups. Mothers reported that they valued this curriculum as a preventive program. Importantly, all mothers wished to extend their involvement to not only assisting their child in completing the curriculum homework but also attending a proposed parenting program. This study provides preliminary evidence that mothers embraced the EHC as an accessible community mental health service for their children and sought greater involvement.

Emotional and Behavioral Health Needs in Elementary School Students in an Underserved Hispanic Community.

High rates of mental health problems in adolescents have been well documented; less is known about elementary school children in disadvantaged communities. We examined emotional and behavioral health needs in 202 third and fourth graders enrolled in a charter school in a largely Hispanic community. The child-reported Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-25 and Teacher's Report Form were used to evaluate mental health needs as perceived by these children and their teachers. The prevalence of teacher-reported depression and child self-reported anxiety was 7.0% and 6.67%, respectively. Living in a single parent household was found to be a specific risk factor in that those children had higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems than children living with both parents. Evidence of higher depression and anxiety identified in this sample compared to national representative data suggests the need for development of culturally sensitive early prevention and intervention in this underserved community.

Impact of Opioid Dose Reduction and Risk Mitigation Initiatives on Chronic Opioid Therapy Patients at Higher Risk for Opioid-Related Adverse Outcomes.

Objective: We aimed to determine if opioid risk reduction initiatives including dose reduction and risk mitigation strategies for chronic noncancer pain patients receiving chronic opioid therapy (COT) had a differential impact on average daily opioid doses of COT patients at higher risk for opioid-related adverse outcomes compared with lower-risk patients. Design: Interrupted time series. Setting: Group Health Cooperative (GH), a health care delivery system and insurance within Washington State, between 2006 and 2014. Population: GH enrollees on COT defined as receiving a supply of 70 or more days of opioids within 90 days using electronic pharmacy data for filled prescriptions. Methods: We compared the average daily morphine equivalent doses (MED) of COT patients with and without each of the following higher-risk characteristics: mental disorders, substance use disorders, sedative use, and male gender. Results: In all four pairwise comparisons, the higher-risk subgroup had a higher average daily MED than the lower-risk subgroup across the study period. Adjusted for covariates, modest differences in the annual rate of reduction in average daily MED were noted between higher- and lower-risk subgroups in three pairwise comparisons: those with mental disorders vs without (-8.2 mg/y vs -5.2 mg/y, P = 0.005), with sedative use vs without (-9.2 mg/y vs -5.8 mg/y, P = 0.004); mg), in men vs women (-8.8 mg/y vs -5.9 mg/y, P = 0.01). Conclusion: Using clinical policy initiatives in a health care system, dose reductions were achieved among COT patients at higher risk for opioid-related adverse outcomes that were at least as large as those among lower-risk patients.

Impact of an opioid risk reduction initiative on motor vehicle crash risk among chronic opioid therapy patients.

PURPOSE: Although prescription opioids have been associated with higher motor vehicle crash (MVC) risk, it is unknown whether health system initiatives to better manage chronic opioid therapy (COT) can reduce MVC risk at the population level. METHODS: We conducted an interrupted time series population-level cohort study at Group Health (GH), between January 2006 and September 2014, comparing MVC risk among COT patients who were GH members receiving care in either group practice or contracted care settings. Group practice COT risk reduction initiatives were implemented in two phases: (1) altered prescribing expectations and (2) multifaceted initiatives. These initiatives did not exist in the contracted care network. We compared the adjusted quarterly rate of MVC between group practice and contracted care patients over time using a modified Poisson regression model for a binary outcome. RESULTS: A total of 32 691 COT patients (27.4% from contracted care) met eligibility criteria and experienced a total of 1956 MVCs during study follow-up (mean, 8.1 quarters per person), of which 810 were serious injury crashes. Crash rates were not significantly different between the patient groups within any of the time periods. Analyses stratified by concurrent prescription of a sedative hypnotic or benzodiazepine found no significant difference between the group practice and contracted care patients. There was a modest elevation of MVC risk for high-dose patients relative to former COT patients who stopped receiving opioids. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of MVC was not mitigated in a large cohort of COT patients exposed to a health plan policy initiative that substantially lowered mean opioid dose. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Alcohol and Drug Use and Aberrant Drug-Related Behavior Among Patients on Chronic Opioid Therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To better identify individuals on chronic opioid therapy (COT) at high risk for aberrant-drug related behavior (ADRB). We examine whether patients with low level alcohol and drug use have similar characteristics to those with alcohol and drug disorders. We then examined the relationship of alcohol and drug use to ADRBs among COT patients. METHODS: The sample was 972 randomly selected COT patients (age 21-80 years old) from a large health system in Northern California, USA, and interviewed in 2009. Logistic regression models were used to model the dependent variables of: alcohol use, illicit drug use, alcohol disorders, illicit drug disorders, and ADRBs. RESULTS: The odds of daily/weekly alcohol use were lower for those with a high daily opioid dose (120+ mg/day vs. <20 mg/day) (OR = 0.32, p < 0.010). Illicit drug disorders were associated with depression (OR = 2.31, p < .001) and being on a high daily opioid dose (OR = 5.51, p < .01). Participants with illicit drug use had higher odds of giving (OR = 2.57, p < 0.01) and receiving opioids from friends or family (OR = 3.25, p < 0.001), but disorder diagnoses were not associated with ADRBs. CONCLUSIONS: Findings reinforce that illicit drug use should be of high concern to clinicians prescribing opioids, and suggest it should be considered separately from alcohol use and alcohol disorders in the evaluation of ADRBs. Frequent alcohol use is low, but not uncommon, and suggests a need to discuss specific issues regarding safe use of opioids among persons who use alcohol that may differ from their risk of drug use.

Timeliness of Care Planning upon Initiation of Chronic Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain.

BACKGROUND: Chronic opioid therapy (COT) guidelines recommend developing a COT care plan at the initiation of COT. OBJECTIVE: Assess the timeliness of care planning upon initiation of COT. DESIGN: Observational cohort study in a setting incentivizing and tracking documentation of COT care plans in electronic health records (EHRs). PARTICIPANTS: Study participants (N = 896) were aged 45 years or older, had initiated an episode of opioid use within the prior 6 months, and reported regular use of prescription analgesics when screened for a baseline interview about 3 months after an index opioid prescription MEASURES: A timely care plan was defined by an EHR documented care plan prior to or within 4 months after the index opioid prescription. RESULTS: Among COT initiators, 30% had a timely COT care plan documented in the EHR within 4 months following index prescription, while 51% had a documented COT care plan within 12 months following index prescription. Among those interviewed at 1 year follow-up (N = 735), 252 (34.2%) reported opioid use on 7 or more days in the prior 2 weeks. Less than half (45.6%) of the 252 individuals who sustained regular opioid use at 1 year had predicted at baseline that it was somewhat, very, or extremely likely they would be using opioids regularly in 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Patients initiating COT were unlikely to have timely COT care plans. Many who sustained regular opioid use at 1 year had not anticipated using opioids long term.

Chronic opioid therapy risk reduction initiative: impact on urine drug testing rates and results.

BACKGROUND: In response to epidemic levels of prescription opioid overdose, abuse, and diversion, routine urine drug tests (UDTs) are recommended for patients receiving chronic opioid therapy (COT) for chronic pain. However, UDT ordering for COT patients is inconsistent in primary care, and little is known about how to increase UDT ordering or the impact of increased testing on rates of aberrant results. OBJECTIVE: To compare rates and results of UDTs for COT patients before versus after implementation of an opioid risk reduction initiative in a large healthcare system. DESIGN: Pre-post observational study. PATIENTS: Group Health patients on COT October 2008-September 2009 (N = 4,821), October 2009-September 2010 (N = 5,081), and October 2010-September 2011 (N = 5,498). INTERVENTION: Multi-faceted opioid risk reduction initiative. MAIN MEASURES: Annual rates of UDTs and UDT results. KEY RESULTS: Half of COT patients received at least one UDT in the year after the initiative was implemented, compared to only 7 % 2 years prior. The adjusted odds of COT patients having at least one UDT in the first year of the opioid initiative were almost 16 times (adjusted OR = 15.79; 95 % CI: 13.96-17.87) those 2 years prior. The annual rate of UDT detection of marijuana and illicit drugs did not change (12.6 % after initiative implementation), and largely reflected marijuana use (detected in 11.1 % of all UDTs in the year after initiative implementation). In the year after initiative implementation, 10.7 % of UDTs were negative for opioids. CONCLUSIONS: The initiative appeared to dramatically increase urine drug testing of COT patients in the healthcare system without impacting rates of aberrant results. The large majority of aberrant results reflected marijuana use or absence of opioids in the urine. The utility of increased urine drug testing for COT patient safety and prevention of diversion remains uncertain.

Chronic opioid therapy urine drug testing in primary care: prevalence and predictors of aberrant results.

BACKGROUND: Urine drug tests (UDTs) are recommended for patients on chronic opioid therapy (COT). Knowledge of the risk factors for aberrant UDT results could help optimize their use. OBJECTIVE: To identify primary care COT patient and opioid regimen characteristics associated with aberrant UDT results. DESIGN: Population-based observational. SAMPLE: 5,420 UDTs for Group Health integrated group practice COT patients. MEASURES: Group Health database measures of patient demographics, medical history, COT characteristics, and UDT results. RESULTS: Thirty percent of UDTs had aberrant results, including prescribed opioid non-detection (12.3%), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; 11.2%), non-prescribed opioid (5.3%), illicit drug (excluding THC; 0.6%), non-prescribed benzodiazepine (1.7%), and dilute (4.8%). Adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) of any aberrant result were higher for males than females (1.24 [1.07, 1.43]), patients with versus without prior substance use disorder diagnoses (1.42 [1.17, 1.72]), and current smokers versus non-smokers (1.50 [1.30, 1.73]). Odds ratios were lower for patients aged 45-64 (0.77 [0.65, 0.92]) and 65+ (0.40 [0.32, 0.50]) versus patients aged 20-44 and for patients on long-acting opioids only (0.72 [0.55, 0.95]) or long-acting plus short-acting (0.67 [0.54, 0.83]) versus short-acting only. Adjusted odds of prescribed opioid non-detection were lower for patients aged 45-64 (0.79 [0.63, 0.998]) and 65+ (0.44 [0.32, 0.59]) versus patients aged 20-44, for those on 40-<120 mg daily morphine-equivalent dose (0.52 [0.39, 0.70]) or 120+ mg (0.22 [0.11, 0.43]) versus <40 mg, and for patients on long-acting (0.35 [0.21, 0.57]) or long-acting plus short-acting (0.35 [0.24, 0.50]) opioids (versus short-acting only); and odds ratios were higher for patients with versus without prior diagnoses of substance use disorder (1.70 [1.31, 2.20]). CONCLUSIONS: In this primary care setting, results were aberrant for 30% of UDTs of COT patients, largely because of prescribed opioid non-detection and THC. Aberrant results of almost all types were more likely among patients under the age of 45. Other risk factors varied across aberrancies, but commonly included current smoking and prior substance use disorder diagnosis.

Depression and prescription opioid misuse among chronic opioid therapy recipients with no history of substance abuse.

PURPOSE: Opioid misuse in the context of chronic opioid therapy (COT) is a growing concern. Depression may be a risk factor for opioid misuse, but it has been difficult to tease out the contribution of co-occurring substance abuse. This study aims to examine whether there is an association between depression and opioid misuse in patients receiving COT who have no history of substance abuse. METHODS: A telephone survey was conducted at Group Health Cooperative and Kaiser Permanente of Northern California. We interviewed 1,334 patients on COT for noncancer pain who had no history of substance abuse. Patients were asked about 3 forms of opioid misuse: (1) self-medicating for symptoms other than pain, (2) self-increasing doses, and (3) giving to or getting opioids from others. Depression was evaluated by the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8). RESULTS: Compared with patients who were not depressed (PHQ-8 score 0 to 4), patients with moderate depression (PHQ-8 score 10 to 14) and severe depression (PHQ-8 score 15 or higher) were 1.8 and 2.4 times more likely, respectively, to misuse their opioid medications for non-pain symptoms. Patients with mild (PHQ-8 score 5 to 9), moderate, and severe depression were 1.9, 2.9, and 3.1 times more likely, respectively, to misuse their opioid medications by self-increasing their dose. There was no statistically significant association between depression and giving opioids to or getting them from others. CONCLUSION: In patients with no substance abuse history, depressive symptoms are associated with increased rates of some forms of self-reported opioid misuse. Clinicians should be alert to the risk of patients with depressive symptoms using opioids to relieve these symptoms and thereby using more opioids than prescribed.

Patient-reported care coordination: associations with primary care continuity and specialty care use.

PURPOSE: Care coordination is increasingly recognized as a necessary element of high-quality, patient-centered care. This study investigated (1) the association between care coordination and continuity of primary care, and (2) differences in this association by level of specialty care use. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of Medicare enrollees with select chronic conditions in an integrated health care delivery system in Washington State. We collected survey information on patient experiences and automated health care utilization data for 1 year preceding survey completion. Coordination was defined by the coordination measure from the short form of the Ambulatory Care Experiences Survey (ACES). Continuity was measured by primary care visit concentration. Patients who had 10 or more specialty care visits were classified as high users. Linear regression was used to estimate the association between coordination and continuity, controlling for potential confounders and clustering within clinicians. We used a continuity-by-specialty interaction term to determine whether the continuity-coordination association was modified by high specialty care use. RESULTS: Among low specialty care users, an increase of 1 standard deviation (SD) in continuity was associated with an increase of 2.71 in the ACES coordination scale (P <.001). In high specialty care users, we observed no association between continuity and reported coordination (P= .77). CONCLUSIONS: High use of specialty care may strain the ability of primary care clinicians to coordinate care effectively. Future studies should investigate care coordination interventions that allow for appropriate specialty care referrals without diminishing the ability of primary care physicians to manage overall patient care.

Opioid prescriptions for chronic pain and overdose: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain is becoming increasingly common in community practice. Concomitant with this change in practice, rates of fatal opioid overdose have increased. The extent to which overdose risks are elevated among patients receiving medically prescribed long-term opioid therapy is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To estimate rates of opioid overdose and their association with an average prescribed daily opioid dose among patients receiving medically prescribed, long-term opioid therapy. DESIGN: Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate overdose risk as a function of average daily opioid dose (morphine equivalents) received at the time of overdose. SETTING: HMO. PATIENTS: 9940 persons who received 3 or more opioid prescriptions within 90 days for chronic noncancer pain between 1997 and 2005. MEASUREMENTS: Average daily opioid dose over the previous 90 days from automated pharmacy data. Primary outcomes--nonfatal and fatal overdoses--were identified through diagnostic codes from inpatient and outpatient care and death certificates and were confirmed by medical record review. RESULTS: 51 opioid-related overdoses were identified, including 6 deaths. Compared with patients receiving 1 to 20 mg/d of opioids (0.2% annual overdose rate), patients receiving 50 to 99 mg/d had a 3.7-fold increase in overdose risk (95% CI, 1.5 to 9.5) and a 0.7% annual overdose rate. Patients receiving 100 mg/d or more had an 8.9-fold increase in overdose risk (CI, 4.0 to 19.7) and a 1.8% annual overdose rate. LIMITATIONS: Increased overdose risk among patients receiving higher dose regimens may be due to confounding by patient differences and by use of opioids in ways not intended by prescribing physicians. The small number of overdoses in the study cohort is also a limitation. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving higher doses of prescribed opioids are at increased risk for overdose, which underscores the need for close supervision of these patients. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institute of Drug Abuse.

Relationship of opioid use and dosage levels to fractures in older chronic pain patients.

BACKGROUND: Opioids have been linked to increased risk of fractures, but little is known about how opioid dose affects fracture risk. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether risk of fracture increases with opioid dose among older patients initiating sustained use of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain. DESIGN: A cohort study that uses Cox proportional hazards models to compare fracture risk among current opioid users vs. persons no longer using opioids. PARTICIPANTS: Members of an integrated health care plan (N = 2,341) age 60 years and older who received 3+ opioid prescriptions within a 90-day period for chronic, non-cancer pain between 2000 and 2005. MEASUREMENTS: Time-varying measures of opioid use and average daily dose in morphine equivalents were calculated from automated data. Fractures were identified from automated data and then validated through medical record review. RESULTS: Compared with persons not currently using opioids, opioid use was associated with a trend towards increased fracture risk (1.28 (95% CI (0.99, 1.64 )). Higher dose opioid use (>or=50 mg/day) was associated with a 9.95% annual fracture rate and a twofold increase in fracture risk (2.00 (95% CI (1.24, 3.24)). Of the fractures in the study cohort, 34% were of the hip or pelvis, and 37% were associated with inpatient care. CONCLUSIONS: Higher doses (>or=50 mg/day) of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain were associated with a 2.00 increase in risk of fracture confirmed by medical record review. Clinicians should consider fracture risk when prescribing higher-dose opioid therapy for older adults.

Age and gender trends in long-term opioid analgesic use for noncancer pain.

OBJECTIVES: We describe age and gender trends in long-term use of prescribed opioids for chronic noncancer pain in 2 large health plans. METHODS: Age- and gender-standardized incident (beginning in each year) and prevalent (ongoing) opioid use episodes were estimated with automated health care data from 1997 to 2005. Profiles of opioid use in 2005 by age and gender were also compared. RESULTS: From 1997 to 2005, age-gender groups exhibited a total percentage increase ranging from 16% to 87% for incident long-term opioid use and from 61% to 135% for prevalent long-term opioid use. Women had higher opioid use than did men. Older women had the highest prevalence of long-term opioid use (8%-9% in 2005). Concurrent use of sedative-hypnotic drugs and opioids was common, particularly among women. CONCLUSIONS: Risks and benefits of long-term opioid use are poorly understood, particularly among older adults. Increased surveillance of the safety of long-term opioid use is needed in community practice settings.

Trends in long-term opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain.

OBJECTIVE: To report trends and characteristics of long-term opioid use for non-cancer pain. METHODS: CONSORT (CONsortium to Study Opioid Risks and Trends) includes adult enrollees of two health plans serving over 1 per cent of the US population. Using automated data, we constructed episodes of opioid use between 1997 and 2005. We estimated age-sex standardized rates of opioid use episodes beginning in each year (incident) and on-going in each year (prevalent), and the per cent change in rates annualized (PCA) over the 9-year period. Long-term episodes were defined as > 90 days with 120+ days supply or 10+ opioid prescriptions in a given year. RESULTS: Over the study period, incident long-term use increased from 8.5 to 12.1 per 1000 at Group Health (GH) (6.0% PCA), and 6.3 to 8.6 per 1000 at Kaiser Permanente of Northern California (KPNC) (5.5% PCA). Prevalent long-term use doubled from 23.9 to 46.8 per 1000 at GH (8.5% PCA), and 21.5 to 39.2 per 1000 at KPNC (8.1% PCA). Non-Schedule II opioids were the most commonly used opioid among patients engaged in long-term opioid therapy, particularly at KPNC. Long-term use of Schedule II opioids also increased substantially at both health plans. Among prevalent long-term users in 2005, 28.6% at GH and 30.2% at KPNC were also regular users of sedative hypnotics. CONCLUSION: Long-term opioid therapy for non-cancer pain is increasingly prevalent, but the benefits and risks associated with such therapy are inadequately understood. Concurrent use of opioids and sedative-hypnotics was unexpectedly common and deserves further study.

Impact of Chronic Opioid Therapy Risk Reduction Initiatives on Opioid Overdose.

We assessed the effects of opioid dose and risk reduction initiatives on opioid overdose rates among patients on chronic opioid therapy (COT). Using an interrupted time series design, we compared trends in overdose rates. We compared patients on COT in settings that implemented a COT dose reduction initiative and then a COT risk stratification/monitoring initiative to similar patients on COT from control settings. From 2006 to 2014, 31,142 patients on COT (22,673 intervention, 8,469 control) experienced 311 fatal or nonfatal opioid overdoses. In primary analyses, changes in opioid overdose rates among patients on COT did not differ significantly between intervention and control settings with the implementation of either dose reduction or risk stratification/monitoring. In planned secondary analyses, overdose rates decreased significantly (17% per year) during the dose reduction initiative among patients on COT in intervention settings (relative annual change, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.99), but not in control settings (0.98. 95% confidence interval, 0.70-1.39). We conclude that overdose rates among patients on COT were not decreased by risk stratification and monitoring initiatives. Results were inconsistent for COT dose reduction, with no significant difference between intervention and control settings (primary hypothesis test), but a significant decrease in overdose rates within the intervention setting during dose reduction (secondary hypothesis test). PERSPECTIVE: Risk stratification/monitoring interventions among patients on COT did not decrease opioid overdose rates. The effects of COT dose reduction on opioid overdose rates were inconsistent. Greater decreases in COT dose, a larger control group, or both may have been needed to identify conclusive reductions in opioid overdose rates.

Doctor-Patient Trust Among Chronic Pain Patients on Chronic Opioid Therapy after Opioid Risk Reduction Initiatives: A Survey.

OBJECTIVE: This analysis examined patients' perceptions about trust within the doctor-patient relationship related to managing opioid pain medications. We compared perceptions among chronic opioid therapy (COT) patients who were and were not exposed to opioid risk reduction initiatives. METHODS: Between 2014 and 2016, we surveyed 1588 adults with chronic pain receiving COT about their trust in their prescribing doctor, their perceptions of their doctor's trust in them, their concerns about opioid prescribing, and their knowledge of opioid safety concerns. The population included adults receiving care in intervention settings that implemented opioid risk reduction initiatives and control settings with similar COT patients that did not. RESULTS: Overall, 82.2% of COT patients said they trusted their doctor's judgment, with more agreement among patients in the control clinics (86.3%; n = 653) than in the intervention clinics (77.9%; n = 935; P = .002). Similarly, slightly more patients in the control clinics believed their physician trusted how they managed their opioid pain medicines (91.1%) compared with the intervention clinics (86.2%; P = .002). The percent who worried that their doctor would stop prescribing opioid pain medicine was 29.3% in intervention clinics and 21.8% in control clinics (P = .007). CONCLUSIONS: Although COT patients typically reported favorable perceptions of doctor-patient trust in managing opioid pain medicines, implementation of opioid risk reduction initiatives may have reduced levels of trust for a minority of COT patients. This suggests that it may be possible to implement opioid risk-reduction initiatives while sustaining high levels of doctor-patient trust for most COT patients.

Comparing Pain and Depressive Symptoms of Chronic Opioid Therapy Patients Receiving Dose Reduction and Risk Mitigation Initiatives With Usual Care.

Dose reduction and risk mitigation initiatives have been recommended to reduce opioid-related risks among patients receiving chronic opioid therapy (COT), but questions remain over whether these initiatives worsen pain control and quality of life. In 2014 to 2015, we interviewed 1,588 adult COT patients within a health care system in Washington State and compared those who received dose reduction and risk mitigation initiatives in primary care clinics (intervention) with patients in comparable health care settings without initiatives (control). The primary outcomes were pain assessed using the pain, enjoyment, and general activity (PEG) scale, a 3-item scale to assess global pain intensity and interference, with secondary measures including depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-8 scale). Generalized estimating equations for linear regression models were used to estimate differences in mean scores between intervention and control sites. Estimated differences, adjusted for patient characteristics and weighted for nonresponse, between patients at intervention and control clinics were not clinically significant for the PEG (-.03, 95% confidence interval = -.25 to .19) or Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (-.64, 95% confidence interval = -1.19 to -.08). We found no evidence that COT patients in clinics with dose reduction and risk mitigation initiatives had clinically meaningful differences in pain intensity, interference with activities and enjoyment of life, or depressive symptoms compared with control health care settings. PERSPECTIVE: This article evaluates the effect of dose reduction and risk mitigation initiatives, such as those recently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to reduce risks associated with COT on global pain and interference, depressive symptoms, and perceived pain relief and bothersomeness of side effects.

Association between obesity and psychiatric disorders in the US adult population.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic data suggest an association between obesity and depression, but findings vary across studies and suggest a stronger relationship in women than men. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between obesity and a range of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders in the US general population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional epidemiologic survey. SETTING: Nationally representative sample of US adults. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 9125 respondents who provided complete data on psychiatric disorder, height, and weight. Response rate was 70.9%. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants completed an in-person interview, including assessment of a range of mental disorders (assessed using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview) and height and weight (by self-report). RESULTS: Obesity (defined as body mass index [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters] of > or =30) was associated with significant increases in lifetime diagnosis of major depression (odds ratio [OR], 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-1.35), bipolar disorder (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.12-1.93), and panic disorder or agoraphobia (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.01-1.60). Obesity was associated with significantly lower lifetime risk of substance use disorder (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65-0.93). Subgroup analyses found no difference in these associations between men and women, but the association between obesity and mood disorder was strongest in non-Hispanic whites (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.20-1.59) and college graduates (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.14-1.81). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is associated with an approximately 25% increase in odds of mood and anxiety disorders and an approximately 25% decrease in odds of substance use disorders. Variation across demographic groups suggests that social or cultural factors may moderate or mediate the association between obesity and mood disorder.