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Varying rates of conversion to chronic or high-risk opioid use have been reported after receiving a first-time prescription. To determine the association between receiving an emergency department (ED) opioid prescription and subsequent conversion to chronic or high-risk use, researchers queried the Washington State Medicaid database. Included were patients aged 13 to 64 years, seen and discharged from an ED, who had not received any opioid prescriptions in the previous 12 months. Hospice, cancer, and nursing home patients were excluded. High-risk opioid use was measured over the ensuing year and was defined as >4 opioid prescriptions, >3 opioid prescribers, or use of long-acting opioids.
Of 202,807 patients who met inclusion criteria, 23,381…