A study led by Boston Medical Center (BMC) indicates that most patients with chronic pain who are hospitalized after a nonfatal opioid overdose continue to receive prescription opioids after the overdose and are at high risk for experiencing a repeated overdose. The findings, published online ahead of print in the Annals of Internal Medicine, highlight the challenges faced by physicians to balance the known risks with potential benefits of prescription opioids for patients with chronic pain and reinforces the importance of developing tools that will help better identify and treat patients at risk for opioid use disorders and/or overdose.
According to Marc LaRochelle, MD, MPH, a physician in general internal medicine at BMC who led the research team, this study is the first to examine treatment patterns and risk of repeated overdose following a nonfatal opioid overdose. Utilizing Optum,…
