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Opioid Prescribing Practices in Pediatric Acute Care Settings
Michelle DePhillips1, Jennifer Watts1, Jennifer Lowry2
1From the Departments of Emergency Medicine and.
Pediatric Emergency Care
|July 19, 2017
Summary
Pediatric opioid prescriptions exceeding 5 days were more common in younger children, non-injury cases, and urgent care settings. This highlights the need for targeted education to reduce unnecessary opioid prescribing.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
Background:
- Prescription opioid overdoses are a significant public health concern.
- Limiting opioid prescription duration is a proposed prevention strategy.
- Understanding prescribing patterns in pediatric emergency and urgent care is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe opioid prescribing practices in pediatric emergency departments and urgent care sites.
- To identify factors associated with longer opioid prescription durations.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of outpatient opioid prescriptions from June 2012 to May 2013.
- Data included patient demographics, diagnosis, prescriber information, and prescription duration.
- Analysis focused on prescriptions for more than 5 days.
Main Results:
- 4075 opioid prescriptions were analyzed.
- Median prescription length was 3.3 days.
- Longer prescriptions ( >5 days) were associated with younger age, non-injury diagnoses, and urgent care settings.
Conclusions:
- Younger children, non-injury diagnoses, and urgent care settings are associated with longer opioid prescriptions.
- Targeted education for medical students, residents, and providers is needed.
- Further research on pediatric opioid prescribing is essential to reduce unnecessary use.
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