Operating in an Opioid Crisis: A Temporal Analysis of Pain Medication Prescribing Practices in Plastic Surgery.
Ann Plast Surg
; 90(3): 255-260, 2023 03 01.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36796048
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In response to the opioid epidemic, the United States declared a public health emergency in 2017. We evaluated pain medication prescribing practices among plastic and reconstructive surgeons, assessing pain medication prescription rates and opioid-related mortality both nationally and regionally within the United States.METHODS:
A retrospective analysis of Medicare Part D prescriber data among plastic surgeons from 2013 through 2017 was conducted. Pain medications were categorized as opioid and nonopioid medications. Trends in surgeon prescribing habits were evaluated using the Cochrane-Armitage trend test.RESULTS:
A total of 708,817 pain medication claims were identified 612,123 claims (86%) were for opioid pain medications and 96,694 claims (14%) were for nonopioid pain medications. Total pain medication claims decreased from 44% of all medications in 2013 to 37% in 2017 (P < 0.001). Opioid medications decreased from 37% of total medication claims to 32% (P < 0.001). The overall opioid prescription rate fell from 1.53 claims per beneficiary in 2013 to 1.32 in 2017 (P < 0.001). Nonopioid pain medications decreased from 7% in 2013 to 6% in 2017 (P < 0.001); nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug claims increased by 44%. The prescription rate of nonopioid medications decreased from 2.40 claims per beneficiary in 2013 to 2.32 in 2017 (P < 0.001). An overall increase in opioid-related mortality was observed. Trends in pain medication prescriptions varied significantly among US regions and divisions.CONCLUSIONS:
Plastic surgeons are prescribing less opioids and relying more on nonopioid pain medications. Increased adoption of multimodal pain treatment approaches among surgeons is a likely explanation for this trend in face of the current opioid crisis.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Cirugía Plástica
/
Analgésicos Opioides
Tipo de estudio:
Observational_studies
Límite:
Aged
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Ann Plast Surg
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Azerbaiyán