How Often Does an Opioid Prescription for Acute Pain Lead to Chronic Use?

Among opioid-naive adults receiving an opioid prescription for acute pain in the emergency department, persistent opioid use was rare.

The risk of addiction after a short course of opioids for acute pain is poorly understood. To quantify the risk of ongoing opioid use after a single prescription in the emergency department (ED), researchers prospectively enrolled adult opioid-naive patients with new-onset acute pain who were prescribed an opioid and discharged from the ED. Follow-up was performed at 6 months via telephone call, chart review, and review of a statewide prescription database.

Among 484 patients enrolled at two EDs, average age was 46 years and the median pain duration was 2 days. Most patients (88%) were low risk for opioid misuse based on the Opioid Risk Tool. Oxycodone-acetaminophen was the most common opioid prescription (77%). Overall, 102 patients (21%) f…

Reviewing Author

Benton R. Hunter, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Chair, Evidence Based Healthcare Interest Group)

Benton R. Hunter, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Chair, Evidence Based Healthcare Interest Group)

How Often Does an Opioid Prescription for Acute Pain Lead to Chronic Use?

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Reviewing Author