Inequitable access to nonpharmacologic pain treatment providers among cancer-free U.S. adults.

OBJECTIVE: Using evidence-based nonpharmacologic pain treatments may prevent opioid overuse and associated adverse outcomes. There is limited data on the impact of access-promoting social determinants of health (SDoH: education, income, transportation) on use of nonpharmacologic pain treatments. Our objective was to examine the relationship between SDoH and use of nonpharmacologic pain treatment providers. Our goal was to understand policy-actionable factors contributing to inequity in pain treatment. METHODS: Based on Andersen's Health Utilization Model, this cross-sectional analysis of 2016-2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data evaluated whether use of outpatient nonpharmacologic pain treatment providers is driven by enabling (i.e., advantageous socioeconomic resources) or need (i.e., perceived disability and diagnosed disease) factors. The study sample (unweighted n = 28,188) represented a weighted N = 81,912,730 noninstitutionalized, cancer-free, U.S. adults with pain interference. The primary outcome measured use of nonpharmacologic providers relative to exclusive prescription opioid use or no treatment (i.e., neither opioids nor nonpharmacologic). To quantify equitable access, we compared the variance-between access-promoting enabling factors versus medical need factors-that explained utilization. RESULTS: Compared to enabling factors, need factors explained twice the variance predicting pain treatment utilization. Still, the adjusted odds of using nonpharmacologic providers instead of opioids alone were 39% lower among respondents identifying as Black (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 0.49-0.76) and respondents residing in the U.S. South (95% CI, 0.51-0.74). Higher education (95% CI, 1.72-2.79) and income (95% CI, 1.68-2.42) both facilitated using nonpharmacologic providers instead of opioids. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the substantial influence access-promoting SDoH have on pain treatment utilization.

Characteristics of Early Interventions for Pain and Function Following Lower Extremity Joint Replacement: Systematic Review.

Occupational therapy is beneficial among adults with chronic pain; however, occupational therapy interventions addressing earlier phases of pain have not been clearly explicated. This systematic review characterized acute and subacute interventions billable by occupational therapy after hip or knee replacement to improve pain and function. Seven articles met inclusion criteria. Six articles had a low risk of bias. Three intervention types were found: task-oriented exercise, water-based, and modalities. Only task-oriented interventions improved both pain and function one-year after surgery. There are long-term benefits to early task-oriented exercise. Further research is needed to contextualize occupational therapy's role in early pain interventions.

Trends in the Use of Opioids vs Nonpharmacologic Treatments in Adults With Pain, 2011-2019.

Importance: Chronic pain prevalence among US adults increased between 2010 and 2019. Yet little is known about trends in the use of prescription opioids and nonpharmacologic alternatives in treating pain. Objectives: To compare annual trends in the use of prescription opioids, nonpharmacologic alternatives, both treatments, and neither treatment; compare estimates for the annual use of acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy; and estimate the association between calendar year and pain treatment based on the severity of pain interference. Design, Setting, and Participants: A serial cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the nationally representative Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to estimate the use of outpatient services by cancer-free adults with chronic or surgical pain between calendar years 2011 and 2019. Data analysis was performed from December 29, 2021, to August 5, 2022. Exposures: Calendar year (2011-2019) was the primary exposure. Main Outcomes and Measures: The association between calendar year and mutually exclusive pain treatments (opioid vs nonpharmacologic vs both vs neither treatment) was examined. A secondary outcome was the prevalence of nonpharmacologic treatments (acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy). All analyses were stratified by pain type. Results: Among the unweighted 46 420 respondents, 9643 (20.4% weighted) received surgery and 36 777 (79.6% weighted) did not. Weighted percentages indicated that 41.7% of the respondents were aged 45 to 64 years and 55.0% were women. There were significant trends in the use of pain treatments after adjusting for demographic factors, socioeconomic status, health conditions, and pain severity. For example, exclusive use of nonpharmacologic treatments increased in 2019 for both cohorts (chronic pain: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.72; 95% CI, 2.30-3.21; surgical pain: aOR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.13-2.08) compared with 2011. The use of neither treatment decreased in 2019 for both cohorts (chronic pain: aOR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.37-0.49; surgical pain: aOR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.46-0.75) compared with 2011. Among nonpharmacologic treatments, chiropractors and physical therapists were the most common licensed healthcare professionals. Conclusions and Relevance: Among cancer-free adults with pain, the annual prevalence of nonpharmacologic pain treatments increased and the prevalent use of neither opioids nor nonpharmacologic therapy decreased for both chronic and surgical pain cohorts. These findings suggest that, although access to outpatient nonpharmacologic treatments is increasing, more severe pain interference may inhibit this access.

Association of Social Behaviors With Community Discharge in Patients with Total Hip and Knee Replacement.

OBJECTIVES: Understand the association between social determinants of health and community discharge after elective total joint arthroplasty. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort design using Optum de-identified electronic health record dataset. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 38 hospital networks and 18 non-network hospitals in the United States; 79,725 patients with total hip arthroplasty and 136,070 patients with total knee arthroplasty between 2011 and 2018. METHODS: Logistic regression models were used to examine the association among pain, weight status, smoking status, alcohol use, substance disorder, and postsurgical community discharge, adjusted for patient demographics. RESULTS: Mean ages for patients with hip and knee arthroplasty were 64.5 (SD 11.3) and 65.9 (SD 9.6) years; most patients were women (53.6%, 60.2%), respectively. The unadjusted community discharge rate was 82.8% after hip and 81.1% after knee arthroplasty. After adjusting for demographics, clinical factors, and behavioral factors, we found obesity [hip: odds ratio (OR) 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.76-0.85; knee: OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.69-0.77], current smoking (hip: OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.77-0.88; knee: OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.85-0.95), and history of substance use disorder (hip: OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.50-0.60; knee: OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.53-0.62) were associated with lower odds of community discharge after hip and knee arthroplasty, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Social determinants of health are associated with odds of community discharge after total hip and knee joint arthroplasty. Our findings demonstrate the value of using electronic health record data to analyze more granular patient factors associated with patient discharge location after total joint arthroplasty. Although bundled payment is increasing community discharge rates, post-acute care facilities must be prepared to manage more complex patients because odds of community discharge are diminished in those who are obese, smoking, or have a history of substance use disorder.