High prescribing of antibiotics is associated with high prescribing of opioids in medical and dental providers.

ABSTRACT:

Study objective

High prescribers of antibiotics and opioids are an important target for stewardship interventions. The goal of this study was to assess the association between high antibiotic and high opioid prescribing by provider type.

Design

A national cross-sectional study.

Setting

2015-2017 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic health record data.

Population

Prescribers were identified as dentists (2017: n = 1346) and medical providers (physicians n = 23,072; advanced practice providers [APP] n = 7705; and other providers [pharmacists/chiropractors] n = 3674) (2017: n = 34,451).

Measurements

High prescribing was defined as being in the top 25% of visit-based rates of antibiotic or opioid prescribing (number of prescriptions/number of dental

SUBMITTER: Evans CT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9794436 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature