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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.
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1 to 4 of 4 Research Studies DisplayedThakrar AP, Faude S, Perrone J
Association of urine fentanyl concentration with severity of opioid withdrawal among patients presenting to the emergency department.
This study’s aim was to determine whether urine fentanyl concentration is associated with severity of opioid withdrawal. The study was conducted in 3 emergency departments in an urban, academic health system from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021. It included patients with opioid use disorder, detectable urine fentanyl or norfentanyl, and Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) recorded within 6 hours of urine drug testing. Primary exposure measured was urine fentanyl concentration stratified as high (>400 ng/mL), medium (40-399 ng/mL), or low (<40 ng/mL). COWS was used to measure opioid withdrawal severity within 6 hours before or after urine specimen collection. A total of 1127 patients were included in the sample, with a mean age (SD) of 40.0 (10.7), 384 (34.1%) identified as female, 332 (29.5%) reported their race/ethnicity as non-Hispanic Black, and 658 (58.4%) reported their race/ethnicity as non-Hispanic White. For patients with high urine fentanyl concentrations, the adjusted mean COWS was 4.4 (3.9-4.8) compared with 5.5 (5.1-6.0) among those with medium and 7.7 (6.8-8.7) among those with low fentanyl concentrations.
AHRQ-funded; HS026372.
Citation: Thakrar AP, Faude S, Perrone J .
Association of urine fentanyl concentration with severity of opioid withdrawal among patients presenting to the emergency department.
J Addict Med 2023 Jul-Aug; 17(4):447-53. doi: 10.1097/adm.0000000000001155..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Emergency Department, Substance Abuse
Schoenfeld EM, Soares WE, Schaeffer EM
"This is part of emergency medicine now": a qualitative assessment of emergency clinicians' facilitators of and barriers to initiating buprenorphine.
Despite evidence demonstrating the safety and efficacy of buprenorphine for the treatment of emergency department (ED) patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), incorporation into clinical practice has been highly variable. In this study, the investigators explored barriers and facilitators to the prescription of buprenorphine, as perceived by practicing ED clinicians. The investigators concluded that while some participants were hesitant to adopt a "new" role in treating patients with medications for OUD, many already had.
AHRQ-funded; HS025701.
Citation: Schoenfeld EM, Soares WE, Schaeffer EM .
"This is part of emergency medicine now": a qualitative assessment of emergency clinicians' facilitators of and barriers to initiating buprenorphine.
Acad Emerg Med 2022 Jan;29(1):28-40. doi: 10.1111/acem.14369..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Opioids, Medication, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health
Axeen S, Seabury SA, Menchine M
Emergency department contribution to the prescription opioid epidemic.
The investigators used MEPS data to characterize the relative contribution of emergency departments (EDs) to national opioid prescribing, to estimate trends in opioid prescribing by site of care, and to examine whether higher-risk opioid users receive a disproportionate quantity of their opioids from ED settings. During the study period, they found that the relative contribution of EDs to the prescription opioid problem was modest and declining. They therefore recommended that further efforts to reduce the quantity of opioids prescribed focus on office-based settings.
AHRQ-funded; HS024251.
Citation: Axeen S, Seabury SA, Menchine M .
Emergency department contribution to the prescription opioid epidemic.
Ann Emerg Med 2018 Jun;71(6):659-67.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.12.007..
Keywords: Behavioral Health, Emergency Department, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Medication, Opioids, Practice Patterns, Substance Abuse
Chen LY, Crum RM, Strain EC
Prescriptions, nonmedical use, and emergency department visits involving prescription stimulants.
Little is known regarding the temporal trends in prescriptions, nonmedical use, and emergency department (ED) visits involving prescription stimulants in the United States. The study examined these 3 national trends involving dextroamphetamine-amphetamine and methylphenidate in adults and adolescents. It found that trends in prescriptions for stimulants do not correspond to trends in reports of nonmedical use and ED visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS0189960.
Citation: Chen LY, Crum RM, Strain EC .
Prescriptions, nonmedical use, and emergency department visits involving prescription stimulants.
J Clin Psychiatry 2016 Mar;77(3):e297-304. doi: 10.4088/JCP.14m09291.
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Keywords: Emergency Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Medication, Substance Abuse