Premium
Opioid use and dosing in the workers' compensation setting. A comparative review and new data from Ohio
Author(s) -
Dembe Allard,
Wickizer Thomas,
Sieck Cynthia,
Partridge Jamie,
Balchick Robert
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.21021
Subject(s) - medicine , opioid , dosing , workers' compensation , pharmacy , morphine , emergency medicine , family medicine , anesthesia , compensation (psychology) , psychology , receptor , psychoanalysis
Background Many authorities are concerned about the rising use and the potential overuse of opioid pain medications. A study of opioid prevalence and dosage in Ohio's workers' compensation (WC) system was conducted, with comparisons made to opioid use in other WC and non‐WC settings. Methods Systematic literature reviews of WC and non‐WC opioid use and dosage nationally were conducted. Two years of Ohio WC data (2008–2009) were analyzed to determine average daily morphine equivalent dose (MED), opioid costs, pharmacies used per claimant, and extent of long‐duration cases. Results Nearly one‐fifth (19.2%) of Ohio WC claims involved opioid use, compared to 31.8% in other WC systems and 17.9% in non‐WC settings. Mean MED was 57.5 mg, compared to 47.8 mg in other WC systems, and 41.8 mg among non‐WC populations. Nearly 10% of WC claims involved relatively high MED exceeding 120 mg/day. Conclusion Policy makers need to develop strategies for addressing high opioid use in WC systems. Am. J. Ind. Med. 55:313–324, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.