National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 10 of 10 Research Studies DisplayedEnzinger AC, Ghosh K, Keating NL
Racial and ethnic disparities in opioid access and urine drug screening among older patients with poor-prognosis cancer near the end of life.
This research characterized racial and ethnic disparities and trends in opioid access and urine drug screening (UDS) among older patients dying of cancer, and to explore potential mechanisms. Among 18,549 non-Hispanic White (White), Black, and Hispanic Medicare decedents older than 65 years with poor-prognosis cancers, the authors examined 2007-2019 trends in opioid prescription fills and potency (morphine milligram equivalents [MMEs] per day [MMEDs]) near the end of life (EOL), defined as 30 days before death or hospice enrollment. They found that between 2007 and 2019, White, Black, and Hispanic decedents experienced steady declines in EOL opioid access and rapid expansion of UDS. Compared with White patients, Black and Hispanic patients were less likely to receive any opioid (Black, -4.3 percentage points; Hispanic, -3.6 percentage points) and long-acting opioids (Black, -3.1 percentage points; Hispanic, -2.2 percentage points). They also received lower daily doses (Black, -10.5 MMED; Hispanic, -9.1 MMED) and lower total doses (Black, -210 MMEs; Hispanic, -179 MMEs). Black patients were also more likely to undergo UDS (0.5 percentage points).
AHRQ-funded; HS024072.
Citation: Enzinger AC, Ghosh K, Keating NL .
Racial and ethnic disparities in opioid access and urine drug screening among older patients with poor-prognosis cancer near the end of life.
J Clin Oncol 2023 May 10; 41(14):2511-22. doi: 10.1200/jco.22.01413..
Keywords: Elderly, Opioids, Medication, Cancer, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Access to Care
Goyal MK, Drendel AL, Chamberlain JM
Racial/ethnic differences in ED opioid prescriptions for long bone fractures: trends over time.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether racial and/or ethnic differences in provision of outpatient opioid prescriptions for children discharged from the ED with long bone fractures have decreased over time. Findings showed that, as provision of opioid prescriptions declined over time, previously marked racial and/or ethnic disparities in opioid
prescription rates at ED discharge decreased.
prescription rates at ED discharge decreased.
AHRQ-funded; HS020270.
Citation: Goyal MK, Drendel AL, Chamberlain JM .
Racial/ethnic differences in ED opioid prescriptions for long bone fractures: trends over time.
Pediatrics 2021 Nov;148(5):e2021052481. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-052481..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Opioids, Emergency Department, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Injuries and Wounds, Pain, Medication
Thompson HM, Sharma B, Bhalla S
Bias and fairness assessment of a natural language processing opioid misuse classifier: detection and mitigation of electronic health record data disadvantages across racial subgroups.
The objective of this study was to assess fairness and bias of a previously validated machine learning opioid misuse classifier. Two experiments were conducted with the classifier's original and external validation datasets from 2 health systems. Bias was assessed via testing for differences in type II error rates across racial/ethnic subgroups (Black, Hispanic/Latinx, White, Other) using bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals. The investigators concluded that standardized, transparent bias assessments were needed to improve trustworthiness in clinical machine learning models.
AHRQ-funded; HS026385.
Citation: Thompson HM, Sharma B, Bhalla S .
Bias and fairness assessment of a natural language processing opioid misuse classifier: detection and mitigation of electronic health record data disadvantages across racial subgroups.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Oct 12;28(11):2393-403. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab148..
Keywords: Opioids, Substance Abuse, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Morden NE, Chyn D, Wood A
Racial inequality in prescription opioid receipt - role of individual health systems.
The purpose of this study was to explore the contribution of individual health systems in the receipt of prescription opioids among racial groups in the United States. Medicare claims data for 2016-2017 was used to obtain a random 40% national sample of fee-for-service, Black and White beneficiaries 18 to 64 years of age and identify 310 racially diverse systems. Findings showed that, within individual health systems, Black and White patients received markedly different opioid doses. These system-specific findings could facilitate exploration of the causes and consequences of these differences.
AHRQ-funded; HS024075.
Citation: Morden NE, Chyn D, Wood A .
Racial inequality in prescription opioid receipt - role of individual health systems.
N Engl J Med 2021 Jul 22;385(4):342-51. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa2034159..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Practice Patterns
Lillie KM, Shaw J, Jansen KJ
Buprenorphine/naloxone for opioid use disorder among Alaska Native and American Indian people.
Opioid-related disparities are magnified among Alaska Native and American Indian (ANAI) people. Yet, no outcome studies on medication for addiction treatment, an effective treatment in other populations, among ANAI people exist. The objective of this study was to identify variables associated with buprenorphine/naloxone retention among ANAI people with opioid use disorder (OUD). The investigators concluded that younger patients and those with co-occurring substance use remained at higher risk of discontinuing buprenorphine/naloxone treatment for OUD in this population of ANAI people.
AHRQ-funded; HS023207.
Citation: Lillie KM, Shaw J, Jansen KJ .
Buprenorphine/naloxone for opioid use disorder among Alaska Native and American Indian people.
J Addict Med 2021 Jul-Aug 01;15(4):297-302. doi: 10.1097/adm.0000000000000757..
Keywords: Opioids, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health, Medication, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Vulnerable Populations
Moriya AS, Xu L
AHRQ Author: Moriya AS
The complex relationships among race/ethnicity, social determinants, and opioid utilization.
The objective of this study was to examine individual- and community-level factors associated with racial/ethnic differences in individuals' opioid prescription use. The investigators found that the average annual rate of any outpatient opioid prescription use was higher for non-Hispanic whites than for non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics. The smaller difference between non-Hispanic blacks and whites was not explained by the differences in the risk factors, while almost all the difference between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites could be explained by the differences in the means of the risk factors.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Moriya AS, Xu L .
The complex relationships among race/ethnicity, social determinants, and opioid utilization.
Health Serv Res 2021 Apr;56(2):310-22. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13619..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Social Determinants of Health, Opioids, Medication, Disparities
Althoff KN, Leifheit KM, Park JN
Opioid-related overdose mortality in the era of fentanyl: monitoring a shifting epidemic by person, place, and time.
Investigators described US trends in opioid-related overdose mortality rates by race, age, urbanicity, and opioid type before and after the emergence of fentanyl. Using the CDC’s WONDER database, they found a disproportionate increase in opioid-related overdose deaths among urban non-Hispanic Black Americans and recommended interventions for this population in order to halt the increase in overdose deaths.
AHRQ-funded; HS000046.
Citation: Althoff KN, Leifheit KM, Park JN .
Opioid-related overdose mortality in the era of fentanyl: monitoring a shifting epidemic by person, place, and time.
Drug Alcohol Depend 2020 Nov 1;216:108321. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108321..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Substance Abuse, Mortality, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Social Determinants of Health
Goyal MK, Johnson TJ, Chamberlain JM
Racial and ethnic differences in emergency department pain management of children with fractures.
Researchers tested the hypotheses that minority children with long-bone fractures are less likely to receive analgesics, to receive opioid analgesics, and to achieve pain reduction. Using data from the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Registry, they found that there are differences in process and outcome measures by race and ethnicity in the emergency department management of pain among children with long-bone fractures. Although minority children are more likely to receive analgesics and achieve reduction in pain, they are less likely to receive opioids and achieve optimal pain reduction.
AHRQ-funded; HS020270.
Citation: Goyal MK, Johnson TJ, Chamberlain JM .
Racial and ethnic differences in emergency department pain management of children with fractures.
Pediatrics 2020 May;145(5):e20193370. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-3370..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Emergency Department, Pain, Injuries and Wounds, Medication, Opioids, Disparities
Chen YT, Issema RS, Khanna AS
Prescription opioid use in a population-based sample of young black men who have sex with men: a longitudinal cohort study.
This study’s aim was to examine the prevalence and both individual and network characteristics of prescription opioid use (POU) among young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM). A total of 514 YBMSM ages 16-29 in Chicago were surveyed from 2013 to 2016. Approximately 4.2% YBMSM reported POU in the past 12 months. Young men with a criminal history, experiencing violence, or using any illicit drug other than marijuana in the past 12 months, or engaging in condomless anal sex with their named sexual partners were more likely to report POU. The presence of a mother figure was associated with a decreased risk of POU.
AHRQ-funded; HS022433.
Citation: Chen YT, Issema RS, Khanna AS .
Prescription opioid use in a population-based sample of young black men who have sex with men: a longitudinal cohort study.
Subst Use Misuse 2019;54(12):1991-2000. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2019.1625400..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Substance Abuse, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Young Adults
Ringwalt C, Roberts AW, Gugelmann H
Racial disparities across provider specialties in opioid prescriptions dispensed to Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic noncancer pain.
The purpose of this study was to examine differences across providers’ specialties in prescriptions filled by white and black Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP). It found that race-based differences in beneficiaries’ dispensed opioid prescriptions were more prominent among patients of specialists in obstetrics and gynecology and internal medicine, as well as general practitioners/family medicine physicians.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Ringwalt C, Roberts AW, Gugelmann H .
Racial disparities across provider specialties in opioid prescriptions dispensed to Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic noncancer pain.
Pain Med 2015 Apr;16(4):633-40. doi: 10.1111/pme.12555..
Keywords: Chronic Conditions, Disparities, Medicaid, Medication, Opioids, Pain, Racial and Ethnic Minorities