Use of opioids for pain in ERs on the rise, but racial differences in use s...(oid prescribing was more likely for pain...),Health

Date:1/1/2008

oid prescribing was more likely for pain-related visits made by whites (31 percent) than by blacks (23 percent), Hispanics (24 percent), or Asians/others (28 percent), and there was no evidence of an interaction between the time trend and race/ethnicity during the study period. In 2005, opioid prescribing rates were 40 percent in whites and 32 percent in all others.

Differential opioid prescribing was consistently present across different types of pain, across different levels of pain severity, for visits in which pain was the first or second/third reason for visit, and for two specific painful diagnoses, long-bone fracture and kidney stones. Differences in prescribing between whites and nonwhites were larger as pain severity increased and were particularly pronounced for patients with back pain (48 percent vs. 36 percent, respectively), headache (35 percent vs. 24 percent), abdominal pain (32 percent vs. 22 percent), and other pain (40 percent vs. 28 percent). Blacks were prescribed opioids at lower rates than any other race/ethnicity group for almost every type of pain visit.

Statistical adjustment for pain severity and other factors did not substantially change these differences. Compared with white patients, black patients were 34 percent less likely to receive an opioid prescription; Hispanic patients, 33 percent less likely; and Asian/other patients, 21 percent less likely.

Our results suggest that new strategies are needed to understand and improve the quality and equity of management of acute pain in the United States. Future initiatives should continue to monitor pain management quality indicators and processes of care that may contribute to inadequate care, to educate physicians about the importance of adequate pain control, and to promote cultural competence within individual physicians. It is likely, however, that eliminating disparities in pain control will also require nonphysician interventions such as patient-targeted self
'/>"/>

Contact: Wallace Ravven 415-476-2557 JAMA and Archives Journals Source:Eurekalert

0 GOOD

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. Cancer Patients Hold Fast to Belief That Opioids Mean Death
2. With Obesity, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease on the Rise, Physicians Need More Comprehensive Guidelines
3. Mailman School of Public Health study examines link between racial discrimination and substance use
4. Can racial health disparities be effectively reduced?
5. Racial and ethnic differences in colorectal cancer emphasize importance of screening
6. No racial differences seen in outcomes after liver transplantation
7. Genetic differences point to ethnic and racial disparities in colorectal cancer risk
8. Racial and ethnic differences in the biology of breast cancer tumors
9. Survival differences by race most apparent in advanced stages of breast cancer
10. Gene Studies of Male-Female Differences Often Flawed
11. Major differences revealed in how local authorities in the UK support disabled people