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Opioid prescriber responsibility: A Danish drug utilization study
Anton Pottegård1, Anne Mette Skov Sørensen2, Morten Olesen1
1Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy, and Environmental Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
General practitioners initiate and maintain most opioid treatments in Denmark. However, hospital prescribers are increasingly initiating and maintaining opioid therapy, particularly for morphine and oxycodone.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Opioid prescribing patterns are crucial for understanding pain management and potential misuse.
- Differentiating prescriber roles (general practice vs. hospital) is key to analyzing opioid distribution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the distribution of prescribers initiating and maintaining opioid therapy in Denmark.
- To identify trends in prescriber roles and opioid choices over time.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a 20% sample of Danish opioid prescription data from 2000-2021.
- Analyzed prescriber types (general practice, hospital) and specific opioid fills.
Main Results:
- General practitioners (GPs) handled most opioid initiation (74%) and maintenance (92%).
- Hospital prescribers' share of initiation rose from ~20% (2001-2012) to 35% (2021), and maintenance from 5.9% to 13%.
- Hospital initiation of morphine and oxycodone significantly increased, while codeine use declined; tramadol use shifted from hospital to general practice.
Conclusions:
- GPs remain the primary opioid prescribers in Denmark.
- Hospital prescribers show a notable increase in initiating and maintaining opioid treatments, especially for morphine and oxycodone.
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