Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 28, 2025

Author Spotlight: An Efficient Methodology to Confidently Differentiate and Characterize Fentanyl Analogs
Published on: November 8, 2024
Injuries That Happen at Work Lead to More Opioid Prescriptions and Higher Opioid Costs
Abay Asfaw1, Brian Quay, Tim Bushnell
1From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-Economic Research and Support Office, Washington, DC (Drs Asfaw and Pana-Cryan); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-Economic Research and Support Office, Cincinnati, Ohio (Mr Quay, Dr Bushnell).
Objectives:
This study aimed to compare opioid prescription incidence, supply days, and cost associated with occupational injury and other injury-caused conditions.
Methods:
We used Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data for 2010-2019. The MEPS provides information on medical conditions and associated medical encounters, treatments, and treatment costs, as well as demographic, education, health, working status, income, and insurance coverage information. We used descriptive statistics and logistic and 2-part regressions.
Results:
Controlling for covariates and compared with other injury-caused conditions, occupational injury-caused conditions resulted in 33% higher odds of opioid prescribing, 32.8 more opioid prescription supply days, and $134 higher average cost.
Conclusions:
Occupational injuries were associated with higher opioid incidence and costs, and more opioid supply days. These findings point to the need to focus on making work safer and the role employers may play in supporting worker recovery from injury and opioid use disorders.
More Related Videos
07:23Assessment of Morphine-induced Hyperalgesia and Analgesic Tolerance in Mice Using Thermal and Mechanical Nociceptive Modalities
Published on: July 29, 2014
10:17High-throughput and Comprehensive Drug Surveillance Using Multisegment Injection-Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry
Published on: April 23, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
Opioid Analgesics: Morphine and Other Natural Cogeners
Analgesia and Pain Management
Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
Opioid Receptors: Overview
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...