Modest Decrease in Opioid Prescribing After Promulgation of Guidelines in Ohio

The opioid epidemic has prompted a surge of new guidelines and regulations. But do these interventions work? In 2012, Ohio promulgated a guideline on opioid prescribing that was developed by a collaboration of government, public health, hospital, and medical groups. To determine whether implementation of the guideline affected opioid prescribing by emergency physicians, investigators analyzed data from Ohio's prescription drug monitoring program between 2010 and 2014. The analysis focused on the five most commonly prescribed opioids.

After implementation of the guidelines, there was a 12% reduction in opioid prescriptions by emergency physicians per month, and an 11% monthly reduction in prescriptions for greater than a 3-day supply.