Dataset Information

Patterns in Outpatient Benzodiazepine Prescribing in the United States.

ABSTRACT: Importance:Benzodiazepines are implicated in a growing number of overdose-related deaths. Objectives:To quantify patterns in outpatient benzodiazepine prescribing and to compare them across specialties and indications. Design, Setting, and Participants:This serial cross-sectional study (January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2015) used nationally representative National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data. The yearly population-based sample of outpatient visits among adults, ranging from 20?884 visits in 2003 (representing 737 million visits) to 24?273 visits in 2015 (representing 841 million visits) was analyzed. Prescribing patterns were examined by specialty and indication and used to calculate the annual coprescribing rate of benzodiazepines with other sedating medications. Data were analyzed from July 1, 2017, through November 30, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures:Annual benzodiazepine visit rate. Results:Among the 386 457 ambulatory care visits from 2003 through 2015, a total of 919 benzodiazepine visits occurred in 2003 and 1672 in 2015, nationally representing 27.6 million and 62.6 million visits, respectively. The benzodiazepine visit rate doubled from 3.8% (95% CI, 3.2%-4.4%) to 7.4% (95% CI, 6.4%-8.6%; P?

SUBMITTER: Agarwal SD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6484578 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Patterns in Outpatient Benzodiazepine Prescribing in the United States.

Agarwal Sumit D SD Landon Bruce E BE

JAMA network open 20190104 1

<h4>Importance</h4>Benzodiazepines are implicated in a growing number of overdose-related deaths.<h4>Objectives</h4>To quantify patterns in outpatient benzodiazepine prescribing and to compare them across specialties and indications.<h4>Design, setting, and participants</h4>This serial cross-sectional study (January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2015) used nationally representative National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data. The yearly population-based sample of outpatient visits among adults, ...[more]

PMID: 30681713

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Project description:ImportanceRecent increases in US opioid-related deaths underscore the need to understand drivers of fatal overdose. The initial prescription of opioids represents a critical juncture because it increases the risk of future opioid use disorder and is preventable.ObjectiveTo examine new opioid prescribing patterns in US patients at increased risk of overdose from benzodiazepine use.Design, setting, and participantsThis study used publicly available data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2015, to identify adults 20 years or older receiving new opioid prescriptions and concurrently using a benzodiazepine.Main outcomes and measuresPopulation-based rates of new opioid prescriptions stratified by use of benzodiazepines.ResultsThis study analyzed 13?146 visits, representing 214 million visits nationally, with a new opioid prescription. Rates of new opioid prescriptions among adults using a benzodiazepine increased from 189 to 351 per 1000 persons between 2005 and 2010 (rate difference, 162; 95% CI, 29-295; P?=?.02) and decreased to 172 per 1000 persons by 2015 (rate difference, -179; 95% CI, -310 to -48; P?=?.008). New opioid prescriptions in the general population not using benzodiazepines increased nonsignificantly from 78 to 93 per 1000 US persons between 2005 and 2010 (rate difference, 15; 95% CI, -3 to 33; P?=?.10) and decreased nonsignificantly to 79 per 1000 persons by 2015 (rate difference, -14; 95% CI, -38 to 11; P?=?.28). The likelihood of receiving a new opioid prescription during an ambulatory visit remained higher for patients concurrently using benzodiazepines compared with the general population after adjusting for demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and diagnoses associated with pain (adjusted relative risk, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.56-2.15; P?<?.001). Naloxone was coprescribed in less than 1% of visits when a patient concurrently used a benzodiazepine.Conclusions and relevanceIn 2010, new opioid prescriptions for US adults stopped increasing and began to decrease among higher-risk patients who used benzodiazepines. These patterns suggest that the recent increase in opioid-related deaths may be associated with factors other than physicians writing new opioid prescriptions. Nevertheless, prescribing among higher-risk patients still occurred at rates higher than rates in the general population, representing an important opportunity to improve quality of care for patients experiencing pain.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:To examine the distribution and patterns of opioid prescribing in the United States. DESIGN:Retrospective, observational study. SETTING:National private insurer covering all 50 US states and Washington DC. PARTICIPANTS:An annual average of 669?495 providers prescribing 8.9 million opioid prescriptions to 3.9 million patients from 2003 through 2017. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Standardized doses of opioids in morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) and number of opioid prescriptions. RESULTS:In 2017, the top 1% of providers accounted for 49% of all opioid doses and 27% of all opioid prescriptions. In absolute terms, the top 1% of providers prescribed an average of 748?000 MMEs-nearly 1000 times more than the middle 1%. At least half of all providers in the top 1% in one year were also in the top 1% in adjacent years. More than two fifths of all prescriptions written by the top 1% of providers were for more than 50 MMEs a day and over four fifths were for longer than seven days. In contrast, prescriptions written by the bottom 99% of providers were below these thresholds, with 86% of prescriptions for less than 50 MMEs a day and 71% for fewer than seven days. Providers prescribing high amounts of opioids and patients receiving high amounts of opioids persisted over time, with over half of both appearing in adjacent years. CONCLUSIONS:Most prescriptions written by the majority of providers are under the recommended thresholds, suggesting that most US providers are careful in their prescribing. Interventions focusing on this group of providers are unlikely to effect beneficial change and could induce unnecessary burden. A large proportion of providers have established relationships with their patients over multiple years. Interventions to reduce inappropriate opioid prescribing should be focused on improving patient care, management of patients with complex pain, and reducing comorbidities rather than seeking to enforce a threshold for prescribing.

Dataset Information

Patterns in Outpatient Benzodiazepine Prescribing in the United States.

Publications

Patterns in Outpatient Benzodiazepine Prescribing in the United States.

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