Mortality After Discontinuation of Primary Care-Based Chronic Opioid Therapy for Pain: a Retrospective Cohort Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Despite known risks of using chronic opioid therapy (COT) for pain, the risks of discontinuation of COT are largely uncharacterized.

Objective

To evaluate mortality, prescription opioid use, and primary care utilization of patients discontinued from COT, compared with patients maintained on opioids.

Design

Retrospective cohort study of patients with chronic pain enrolled in an opioid registry as of May 2010.

Participants

Patients with chronic pain enrolled in the opioid registry of a primary care clinic at an urban safety-net hospital in Seattle, WA.

Main outcomes and measures

Discontinuation from the opioid registry was the exposure of interest. Pre-specified main outcomes included mortality, prescription and primary care utilization data, an

SUBMITTER: James JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6854174 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature