1. The prescription drug monitoring program in a multifactorial approach to the opioid crisis: PDMP data, Pennsylvania, 2016–2020
- Author
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Jenna R. Adalbert, Amit Syal, Karan Varshney, Brandon George, Jeffrey Hom, and Asif M. Ilyas
- Subjects
Opioids ,Opioid epidemic ,Opioid policy ,PDMP ,Prescription opioids ,Public health ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
Abstract Background Prescription opioids remain an important contributor to the United States opioid crisis and to the development of opioid use disorder for opioid-naïve individuals. Recent legislative actions, such as the implementation of state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), aim to reduce opioid morbidity and mortality through enhanced tracking and reporting of prescription data. The primary objective of our study was to describe the opioid prescribing trends in the state of Pennsylvania (PA) as recorded by the PA PDMP following legislative changes in reporting guidelines, and discuss the PDMP’s role in a multifactorial approach to opioid harm reduction. Methods State-level opioid prescription data summaries recorded by the PA PDMP for each calendar quarter from August 2016 through March 2020 were collected from the PA Department of Health. Data for oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine were analyzed by quarter for total prescription numbers and refills. Prescription lengths, pill quantities, and average morphine milliequivalents (MMEs) were analyzed by quarter for all 14 opioid prescription variants recorded by the PA PDMP. Linear regression was conducted for each group of variables to identify significant differences in prescribing trends. Results For total prescriptions dispensed, the number of oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine prescriptions decreased by 34.4, 44.6, and 22.3% respectively (p
- Published
- 2023
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