Ethnic disparities in opioid prescribing for cancer pain and associated emergency department visits and hospital admissions in the last three months of life: a retrospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ethnic inequalities in pain management at the end of life remain underexplored in the UK. We examined associations between patient ethnicity, opioid prescribing, and related healthcare use among cancer decedents.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study including 232,329 adults (≥18 years) diagnosed with cancer between 2011 and 2021. Primary care records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum were linked to hospital and mortality data. Person-time rates of opioid prescriptions, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospital admissions in the last three months of life were estimated. Poisson regression with Generalised Estimating Equations generated adjusted rate ratios (aRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), controlling for relevant covariates.

Results

SUBMITTER: Chukwusa E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12644774 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature