PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - David I. Buckley
AU  - James F. Calvert
AU  - Jodi A. Lapidus
AU  - Cynthia D. Morris
TI  - Chronic Opioid Therapy and Preventive Services in Rural Primary Care: An Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network Study
AID  - 10.1370/afm.1114
DP  - 2010 May 01
TA  - The Annals of Family Medicine
PG  - 237--244
VI  - 8
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/8/3/237.short
4100  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/8/3/237.full
SO  - Ann Fam Med2010 May 01; 8
AB  - PURPOSE For clinicians, using opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) often gives rise to a conflict between treating their patients’ pain and fears of addiction, diversion of medication, or legal action. Consequent stresses on clinical encounters might adversely affect some elements of clinical care. We evaluated a possible association between chronic opioid therapy (COT) for CNCP and receipt of various preventive services. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study in 7 primary care clinics within the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN). Using medical records of 704 patients, aged 35 to 85 years, seen during a 3-year period, we compared the receipt of 4 preventive services between patients on COT for CNCP and patients not on chronic opioid therapy (non-COT). We used multivariate log-binomial regression analyses to estimate the relative risk of receipt of each preventive service. RESULTS After adjustment for plausible confounders, we found that patients using COT had a statistically significantly lower relative risk (RR) of receipt of cervical cancer screening (RR = 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47–0.76) and colorectal cancer screening (RR = 0.42; 95% CI, 0.22–0.80) when compared with non-COT patients. The RR was reduced, without statistical significance, for lipid screening (RR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.54–1.10), and not notably reduced for smoking cessation counseling (RR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.78–1.15). CONCLUSIONS Patients using COT for CNCP were less likely to receive some preventive services. Research is needed to better understand barriers to and improved methods for providing preventive services for these patients.