Emergency Department Prescription Opioids as an Initial Exposure Preceding Addiction.

ABSTRACT:

Study objective

Opioid abuse and overdose constitute an ongoing health emergency. Many presume opioids have little potential for iatrogenic addiction when used as directed, particularly in short courses, as is typical of the emergency department (ED) setting. We preliminarily explore the possibility that initial exposure to opioids by EDs could be related to subsequent opioid misuse.

Methods

This cross-sectional study surveyed a convenience sample of patients reporting heroin or nonmedical opioid use at an urban, academic ED. We estimated the proportion whose initial exposure to opioids was a legitimate medical prescription and the proportion of those prescriptions that came from an ED. Secondary measurements included the proportion of patients receiving nonopioid substances

SUBMITTER: Butler MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4958587 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature