Mordecai, L;
Reynolds, C;
Donaldson, LJ;
Williams, ACDC;
(2018)
Patterns of regional variation of opioid prescribing in primary care in England: a retrospective observational study.
British Journal of General Practice
, 68
(668)
e225-e233.
10.3399/bjgp18X695057.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Opioids are a widely prescribed class of drug with potentially harmful short-term and long-term side effects. There are concerns about the amounts of these drugs being prescribed in England given that they are increasingly considered ineffective in the context of long-term non-cancer pain, which is one of the major reasons for their prescription. AIM: To assess the amount and type of opioids prescribed in primary care in England, and patterns of regional variation in prescribing. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective observational study using publicly available government data from various sources pertaining to opioids prescribed in primary practice in England and Indices of Social Deprivation. METHOD: Official government data were analysed for opioid prescriptions from August 2010 to February 2014. The total amount of opioid prescribed was calculated and standardised to allow for geographical comparisons. RESULTS: The total amount of opioid prescribed, in equivalent milligrams of morphine, increased (r = 0.48) over the study period. More opioids were prescribed in the north than in the south of England (r = 0.66, P<0.0001), and more opioids were prescribed in areas of greater social deprivation (r = 0.56, P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Long-term opioid prescribing is increasing despite poor efficacy for non-cancer pain, potential harm, and incompatibility with best practice. Questions of equality of care arise from higher prescription rates in the north of England and in areas of greater social deprivation. A national registry of patients with high opioid use would improve patient safety for this high-risk demographic, as well as provide more focused epidemiological data regarding patterns of prescribing.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Patterns of regional variation of opioid prescribing in primary care in England: a retrospective observational study |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3399/bjgp18X695057 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp18X695057 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © British Journal of General Practice 2018. This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Chronic pain; observational study; opioid prescribing; primary care; regional variation; social deprivation |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10048858 |
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