TY - JOUR
KW - Analgesics, Opioid/poisoning/therapeutic use
KW - Chronic Pain/drug therapy
KW - Drug Overdose/mortality
KW - Drug Prescriptions/statistics & numerical data
KW - Humans
KW - Opioid-Related Disorders/epidemiology
KW - Practice Guidelines as Topic
KW - Practice Patterns, Physicians'/standards/statistics & numerical data
KW - Quality Improvement/organization & administration
KW - Rhode Island/epidemiology
KW - Risk
KW - opioid epidemic
KW - opioid prescription
KW - practice change
KW - prescribing guidelines
KW - urgent care
AU - L. S. Young
AU - R. S. Crausman
AU - J. P. Fulton
A1 - 
AB - In the U.S. in 2015, the proportion of people dependent on opioids approached one percent, and opioid overdose rivaled auto accidents as the leading cause of accidental death. The literature suggests a credible link between increased opioid prescribing and increased opioid addiction. Accordingly, some have suggested that limiting the number of opioid prescriptions (and the number of doses per prescription) might be effective in reducing the number of opioid-related deaths. Toward this end, we designed and piloted an evidence-based quality-improvement project in four urgent care clinics. Results of the intervention were monitored with data from a state-sponsored prescription drug-monitoring program (PDMP) by comparing opioid prescribing before and after adoption of the guideline, and in this manner, a statistically significant (P < 0.05) decline in the rate of opioid prescribing was revealed. On average, 2.43 fewer opioid prescriptions were written, per provider, per week, in weeks five through eight after promulgation (5.21, SD =4.37) than in the eight weeks before promulgation (7.64, SD =7.73). Our results suggest that implementing a simple opioid-prescribing guideline, with monitoring, can reduce sub-optimal opioid prescribing, and therefore the volume of opioids available in the community for diversion, abuse, and addiction.
AD - Advanced Practice Clinician, Ocean State Urgent Care and Greenville Primary Care.; Clinical Professor of Medicine Alpert Medical School; Partner Ocean State Urgent Care.; Clinical Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health.
BT - Rhode Island medical journal (2013)
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use
CP - 2
CY - United States
IS - 2
JF - Rhode Island medical journal (2013)
M1 - Journal Article
N2 - In the U.S. in 2015, the proportion of people dependent on opioids approached one percent, and opioid overdose rivaled auto accidents as the leading cause of accidental death. The literature suggests a credible link between increased opioid prescribing and increased opioid addiction. Accordingly, some have suggested that limiting the number of opioid prescriptions (and the number of doses per prescription) might be effective in reducing the number of opioid-related deaths. Toward this end, we designed and piloted an evidence-based quality-improvement project in four urgent care clinics. Results of the intervention were monitored with data from a state-sponsored prescription drug-monitoring program (PDMP) by comparing opioid prescribing before and after adoption of the guideline, and in this manner, a statistically significant (P < 0.05) decline in the rate of opioid prescribing was revealed. On average, 2.43 fewer opioid prescriptions were written, per provider, per week, in weeks five through eight after promulgation (5.21, SD =4.37) than in the eight weeks before promulgation (7.64, SD =7.73). Our results suggest that implementing a simple opioid-prescribing guideline, with monitoring, can reduce sub-optimal opioid prescribing, and therefore the volume of opioids available in the community for diversion, abuse, and addiction.
PP - United States
PY - 2018
SN - 2327-2228; 0363-7913
SP - 41
EP - 44
EP - 
T1 - Suboptimal Opioid Prescribing: A Practice Change Project
T2 - Rhode Island medical journal (2013)
TI - Suboptimal Opioid Prescribing: A Practice Change Project
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use
U2 - 29490325
VL - 101
VO - 2327-2228; 0363-7913
Y1 - 2018
Y2 - Mar 1
ER -