Opioid Use and Dosing in the Workers’ Compensation Setting. A Comparative Review and New Data from Ohio

Details

• Personal Author:
  Balchick R ; Dembe A ; Partridge J ; Sieck C ; Wickizer T
• Description:
  Background: Many authorities are concerned about the rising use and the potential overuse of opioid pain medications. A study of opioid prevalence and dosage in Ohio's workers' compensation (WC) system was conducted, with comparisons made to opioid use in other WC and non-WC settings. Methods: Systematic literature reviews of WC and non-WC opioid use and dosage nationally were conducted. Two years of Ohio WC data (2008-2009) were analyzed to determine average daily morphine equivalent dose (MED), opioid costs, pharmacies used per claimant, and extent of long-duration cases. Results: Nearly one-fifth (19.2%) of Ohio WC claims involved opioid use, compared to 31.8% in other WC systems and 17.9% in non-WC settings. Mean MED was 57.5 mg, compared to 47.8 mg in other WC systems, and 41.8 mg among non-WC populations. Nearly 10% of WC claims involved relatively high MED exceeding 120 mg/day. Conclusion: Policy makers need to develop strategies for addressing high opioid use in WC systems. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Narcotics Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Workers' Compensation Morphine Equivalent Dose Ohio Opiates Opioids Policy Prescription Drugs Workers Compensation
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  313-324
• Volume:
  55
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056228
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2012 Apr; 55(4):313-324
• Contact Point Address:
  Allard Dembe, ScD, Chair, Division of Health Services Management & Policy, The Ohio State University College of Public Health, 202 Cunz Hall,1841 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210
• Email:
  adembe@cph.osu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:67276356eff98f65c65e1f7d1cd4b83059940802a7abe2206e45dc4de387157c17f4cf110769c2bbbca1ee8e6395838092966141ff082e16746ca741faa80c05
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213874/cdc_213874_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 140.46 KB ]