Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1
Saving prescription painkillers for later by recollection of addiction discussion.
aP <.05.
bP <.1.
cP <.001 (t test of mean equivalence).
Tables
- Table 1
Characteristics of Patients With Prescription Painkillers in National and Massachusetts Samples
Characteristic National Data Massachusetts Data Sample size, No. 216 169 Sex, % Female 59.2 54.1 Male 40.8 45.9 Age, % <30 y 17.9 21.4 30–64 y 66.2 63.1 ≥65 y 15.8 15.5 Race, %a White non-Hispanic 66.6 79.9 Black non-Hispanic 11.2 4.4 Hispanic 14.5 10.1 Other 7.8 5.6 Income, % Low 25.2 29.1 Middle low 30 24.5 Middle high 22.3 19 High 22.5 27.5 Metro area, %b Urban 52.3 20.9 Rural 25.3 2.5 Suburban 22.4 76.6 Region, % Northeast 19.4 … North Central 26.2 … South 34.9 … West 19.5 … Know someone who abused opioids in last 5 years, % Yes 47.3 41.9 No 52.7 58.1 Discussed risk of addiction with physician, %b Yes 60.5 36.2 No 39.5 63.8 Saved pills for later, %c Yes 16.8 29.9 No 83.2 70.1
The Article in Brief
Discussing Opioid Risks With Patients to Reduce Misuse and Abuse: Evidence From 2 Surveys
Joachim Hero , and colleagues
Background Recently published guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain recommend that clinicians discuss the risks and benefits of opioid therapy with patients. Based on two population-representative surveys, this study examines the effectiveness of such patient education efforts.
What This Study Found The high-risk behavior of saving opioid pills for later use is substantially less likely among patients who report having been counseled by their physicians about the risks of prescription painkiller addiction. The study included 385 respondents who reported they had been prescribed strong prescription painkillers within the last two years. There was a 60 percent relative reduction in self-reported saving of pills among respondents who said they talked with their physicians about the risks of prescription painkiller addiction.
Implications
- Patient education efforts may have positive behavioral consequences that could lower the risks of prescription painkiller abuse.
- The authors call for future research to test the effectiveness of physician-patient discussions about addiction risk and related safety measures in promoting appropriate use, storage and disposal of prescription pain killers.
Supplemental Appendix
Supplemental Appendix
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