Economic burden of opioid misuse focused on direct medical costs.

ABSTRACT: Background: Since their development, synthetic opioids have been used to control pain. With increased opioid use, problematic opioid prescription has also increased, resulting in a growing economic burden. However, there is a paucity of research studies on the economic burden of prescription opioid misuse in Asia, especially South Korea. Objectives: To estimate the incremental economic burden of prescription opioid misuse for the South Korean population. Methods: The National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort database, covering 2% of the South Korean population between 2010 and 2015, was analyzed. Outpatients aged 18 or older who took one or more prescription opioids were selected. Based on their opioid prescription patterns, patients were classified into

SUBMITTER: Kim M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9620516 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature