Prescription opioid supply-restricting policies and hospital use by people prescribed opioid medications, Victoria, 2018-22: a controlled interrupted time series analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To investigate the combined effect of two policies for reducing prescription opioid supply in Australia on hospital use by people prescribed opioids in primary care.

Study design

Retrospective data linkage study; controlled interrupted time series analysis of linked primary care electronic medication records and hospital admissions data.

Setting

Three Victorian health care networks (Monash Health, Eastern Health, Peninsula Health); pre-intervention period: 1 April 2018 - 31 March 2020; intervention period: 1 April 2020 - 31 March 2022.

Participants

People prescribed opioid medications at least twice during the preceding six months (opioid group) and propensity score-matched patients, based on age, gender, comorbidity, and residential postcode-based s

SUBMITTER: Nielsen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12318491 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature