Trends in opioid prescribing in Scandinavian countries from 2010 to 2023: Insights from multi-metric evaluation.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Monitoring opioid prescribing across different healthcare systems is essential to understanding population-level exposure and informing global health policies. This study examined opioid utilization in Scandinavian countries between 2010 and 2023 using multiple complementary metrics, addressing the limitations of single-metric comparisons.

Methods

A repeated cross-sectional study utilizing publicly available drug use statistics on opioid analgesics (ATC group N02A) dispensed in pharmacies from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. We assessed annual changes in utilization based on four metrics: 1-year prevalence (users/1000 inhabitants/year), defined daily doses (DDD)/1000 inhabitants/day (TID), morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs)/TID, and MMEs/user/year.

Results

Opioid

SUBMITTER: Rolova G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12648362 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature