Search all AHRQ sites
Menu
SHARE:
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: 
AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 4 of 4 Research Studies DisplayedCarlile N, Fuller TE, Benneyan JC
Lessons learned in implementing a chronic opioid therapy management system.
This article describes a research collaborative of health service researchers, systems engineers, and clinicians that sought to improve processes for safer chronic opioid therapy management in an academic primary care center. The authors present implementation results and lessons learned along with an intervention toolkit that others may consider using within their organization. They designed, tested, and implemented two key safe opioid use process metrics-percent for patients with recent opioid treatment agreements and urine drug tests. Focus groups were conducted after the conclusion of the implementation. They found a general lack of knowledge regarding resources available to patients and prescribers in the primary care clinic. In addition, 69% of clinicians reported largely “inheriting” (rather than initiating) their chronic opioid therapy patients. They also tracked 68 patients over a 4-year period and found although process measures improved, full adherence was not achieved for the entire population. Barriers identified included team structure, the evolving opioid environment, and surveillance challenges, along with disruptions resulting from the 2019 novel coronavirus.
AHRQ-funded; HS024453.
Citation: Carlile N, Fuller TE, Benneyan JC .
Lessons learned in implementing a chronic opioid therapy management system.
J Patient Saf 2022 Dec 1;18(8):e1142-e49. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000001039..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Pain, Chronic Conditions, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health, Practice Patterns
Khouja T, Zhou J, Gellad WF
Serious opioid-related adverse outcomes associated with opioids prescribed by dentists.
This study’s objective was to evaluate adverse outcomes and persistent opioid use (POU) after opioid prescriptions by dentists, based on whether opioids were overprescribed or within recommendations. A cross-sectional analysis of adults with dental visit and corresponding opioid prescription from 2011 to 2017 within a nationwide commercial claims database was conducted. As per CDC guidelines, opioid overprescribing was defined as >120 morphine milligram equivalents. Of 633,387 visits, 16.6% had POU and 2.6% experienced an adverse outcome. POU was higher when opioids were overprescribed with visits associated with mild pain and those with substance use disorders having the highest risk of both outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS025177.
Citation: Khouja T, Zhou J, Gellad WF .
Serious opioid-related adverse outcomes associated with opioids prescribed by dentists.
Pain 2022 Aug 1;163(8):1571-80. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002545..
Keywords: Opioids, Dental and Oral Health, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health, Practice Patterns, Pain, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Newberry CI, Casazza GC, Pruitt LC
Prescription patterns and opioid usage in sinonasal surgery.
The goal of this study was to identify factors associated with variable opioid usage and to delineate optimal prescription patterns for sinonasal surgery. The researchers found that patients used 9.3% of their full prescription and only 2.6% required a refill. The amount used was not associated with complexity of endoscopic sinus surgery, type of opiate prescribed, gender, distance living from hospital, or current opioid usage before surgery. They concluded that opioids are overprescribed after sinonasal surgery and that the amount of postoperative opiate prescribed should be greatly reduced and may be based on the specific procedures performed.
AHRQ-funded; HS024638.
Citation: Newberry CI, Casazza GC, Pruitt LC .
Prescription patterns and opioid usage in sinonasal surgery.
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2020 Mar;10(3):381-87. doi: 10.1002/alr.22478..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Pain, Surgery, Respiratory Conditions, Healthcare Utilization, Practice Patterns, Substance Abuse
Sekhri S, Arora NS, Cottrell H
Probability of opioid prescription refilling after surgery: does initial prescription dose matter?
In this study, the investigators sought to determine the correlation between the probability of postoperative opioid prescription refills and the amount of opioid prescribed, hypothesizing that a greater initial prescription yields a lower probability of refill. The investigators concluded that the probability of refilling prescription opioids after surgery was not correlated with initial prescription strength, suggesting surgeons could prescribe smaller prescriptions without influencing refill requests.
AHRQ-funded; HS023313.
Citation: Sekhri S, Arora NS, Cottrell H .
Probability of opioid prescription refilling after surgery: does initial prescription dose matter?
Ann Surg 2018 Aug;268(2):271-76. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000002308..
Keywords: Medication, Opioids, Pain, Practice Patterns, Substance Abuse, Surgery
