Prescription opioids, drugs once reserved for the treatment of end-of-life cancer pain, have recently become a mainstay in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), a trend that is increasingly controversial. Limited data exist to support the safety and efficacy of chronic opioid therapy (i.e., long-term opioid use), and risk for misuse is elevated in patients with psychiatric illness and substance use disorders. Despite these concerns, prescriptions for CNCP continue to rise, as evidenced by the substantial growth in retail pharmacy sales in recent years: from 1997 to 2006, the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. increased by 48%, and the amount of medication dispensed per person rose by 368% (from 74 to 369 milligrams per capita, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency). Mirroring these trends has been a rise in unintentional overdose deaths and unprecedented levels of addiction to prescription drugs. These data underscore the need for clinician adherence to evidence-based opioid treatment guidelines, first introduced in 1997 to promote the safe and efficacious use of prescription opioids for CNCP management. The overall objective of this proposal is to describe clinician adherence to evidence-based opioid treatment guidelines and to examine the association between guideline adherence and patient safety, among HIV+ and HIV- patients. We hypothesize that clinicians are not delivering guideline concordant care, which is putting patients and the public at risk. To test this hypothesis, we will carryout three specific aims: 1) describe clinician adherence to guidelines for the provision of chronic opioid therapy;2) examine, using survival regression models, the longitudinal association between guideline adherence and patient deaths (all-cause, overdose, and violent);and 3) explore the moderating effects of psychiatric and substance use disorders on this relationship. To accomplish these aims, we will conduct a secondary analysis of data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS): an observational, prospective study of HIV+ and HIV- veterans. With this data, we will have access to clinical, administrative, and pharmacy data on a vulnerable patient group for which CNCP, psychiatric illness, and substance use disorders are prevalent. This project has implications for clinician education and training, which federal agencies have identified as a top priority for addressing the country's fastest-growing drug problem, opioid abuse. This research is also aligned with NIDA's recent initiative to support clinical research to protect against opioid abuse and addiction. Finally, this work is consistent with NIDA's mission to address HIV, and co-occurring conditions, in the context of substance abuse.

Public Health Relevance

Prescription opioids now account for more overdose deaths than from heroin and cocaine combined, and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths from prescription drug poisonings now rival those from motor vehicle accidents. Opioids are also implicated in a number of non-overdose deaths, such as those caused by falls and other accidents. In an effort to address persistent and growing questions surrounding the role played by clinicians in opioid-related deaths, we aim with this study to examine the impact of quality of opioid treatment on patient safety and public health.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
1F31DA035567-01
Application #
8527077
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-AARR-C (22))
Program Officer
Kahana, Shoshana Y
Project Start
2013-04-01
Project End
2015-03-31
Budget Start
2013-04-01
Budget End
2014-03-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$42,222
Indirect Cost
Name
Yale University
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
043207562
City
New Haven
State
CT
Country
United States
Zip Code
06520
Gaither, Julie R; Gordon, Kirsha; Crystal, Stephen et al. (2018) Racial disparities in discontinuation of long-term opioid therapy following illicit drug use among black and white patients. Drug Alcohol Depend 192:371-376
Chaiyachati, Barbara H; Gaither, Julie R; Hughes, Marcia et al. (2018) Preventing child maltreatment: Examination of an established statewide home-visiting program. Child Abuse Negl 79:476-484
Barry, Declan T; Marshall, Brandon D L; Becker, William C et al. (2018) Duration of opioid prescriptions predicts incident nonmedical use of prescription opioids among U.S. veterans receiving medical care. Drug Alcohol Depend 191:348-354
Marshall, Brandon D L; Tate, Janet P; McGinnis, Kathleen A et al. (2017) Long-term alcohol use patterns and HIV disease severity. AIDS 31:1313-1321
Gaither, Julie R; Goulet, Joseph L; Becker, William C et al. (2016) The Association Between Receipt of Guideline-Concordant Long-Term Opioid Therapy and All-Cause Mortality. J Gen Intern Med 31:492-501
Gaither, Julie R; Goulet, Joseph L; Becker, William C et al. (2016) The Effect of Substance Use Disorders on the Association Between Guideline-concordant Long-term Opioid Therapy and All-cause Mortality. J Addict Med 10:418-428
Gaither, Julie R; Leventhal, John M; Ryan, Sheryl A et al. (2016) National Trends in Hospitalizations for Opioid Poisonings Among Children and Adolescents, 1997 to 2012. JAMA Pediatr 170:1195-1201
Banerjee, Geetanjoli; Edelman, E Jennifer; Barry, Declan T et al. (2016) Non-medical use of prescription opioids is associated with heroin initiation among US veterans: a prospective cohort study. Addiction 111:2021-2031
Marshall, Brandon D L; Operario, Don; Bryant, Kendall J et al. (2015) Drinking trajectories among HIV-infected men who have sex with men: a cohort study of United States veterans. Drug Alcohol Depend 148:69-76
Gaither, Julie R; Goulet, Joseph L; Becker, William C et al. (2014) Guideline-concordant management of opioid therapy among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and uninfected veterans. J Pain 15:1130-1140