Patterns of initial opioid prescription and its association with short- and long-term use among opioid-naïve patients in Malaysia: a retrospective cohort study

Zin, Che Suraya and Nazar, Nor Ilyani and Abdul Rahman, Norny Syafinaz and Ahmad, Wan Rohaidah and Rani,, Nurul Sahida and Ng, Kim Swan (2019) Patterns of initial opioid prescription and its association with short- and long-term use among opioid-naïve patients in Malaysia: a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open, 9 (7). pp. 1-8. E-ISSN 2044-6055

	PDF (pdf) - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (453kB) | Request a copy
	PDF (scopus) Restricted to Registered users only Download (528kB) | Request a copy
Preview	PDF (wos) - Supplemental Material Download (437kB) | Preview

Abstract

This study examined opioid prescription initiation patterns and their association with short- and long-term opioid use among opioid-naïve patients. Design This study was designed as a retrospective cohort study. Setting and participants In this study, we analysed the prescription databases of tertiary hospitals in Malaysia. This study included patients aged ≥18 years with at least one opioid prescription (buprenorphine, morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, dihydrocodeine, or tramadol) between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2016. These patients had no opioid prescriptions in the 365 days prior, and were followed-up for 365 days after the initial opioid prescription. Main outcome measures The main outcome measures were the number of short-term (<90 days) and long-term opioid users (≥90 days), initial opioid prescription period, and daily dose. Results There were 33752 opioid-naïve patients who received opioid prescriptions (n = 43432 prescriptions) during the study period. Of these, 29824 (88.36%) were short-term opioid users and 3928 (11.64%) were long-term opioid users. The majority of these short- (99.09%) and long-term users (96.18%) received an initial daily opioid dose of <50 mg/day with a short-acting opioid formulation. Short-term opioid users were predominantly prescribed opioids for 3-7 days (59.06%) by the emergency department (ED, 60.56%), while long-term opioid users were primarily prescribed opioids for ≥7 days (91.85%) by non-ED hospital departments (91.8%). The adjusted model showed that the following were associated with long-term opioid use: increasing opioid daily doses, prescription period ≥7 days, and long-acting opioids initiated by non-EDs. Conclusions The majority of opioid-naïve patients in tertiary hospital settings in Malaysia were prescribed opioids for short-term use. The progression to long-term use among opioid-naïve patients was attributed to the prescription of higher opioid doses for a longer duration as well as long-acting opioids initiated by non-ED hospital departments.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Additional Information:	4127/73146
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Initial opioid prescription; opioid-naïve; opioid prescribing; Malaysia
Subjects:	R Medicine > RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology > RM147 Administration of Drugs and Other Therapeutic Agents
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Pharmacy Kulliyyah of Pharmacy > Department of Pharmacy Practice
Depositing User:	Prof Dr Che Suraya Mohd Zin
Date Deposited:	12 Jul 2019 16:04
Last Modified:	04 Apr 2020 10:10
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/73146

Actions (login required)

View Item