The overall objective of this proposal is to integrate large-scale VA and non-VA data across New York, Chicago and Florida to study the risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, suicide and accidental opioid overdose deaths in Veterans receiving chronic opioid therapy (COT).
PROJECT ABSTRACT Opioid misuse and its associated risks of suicide is a national public health emergency. Current estimates suggest that chronic pain impacts nearly half of Veterans, and studies have shown that people who experience chronic pain are at increased risk for a number of adverse health outcomes, including suicide and opioid overdose. Although multiple national initiatives within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) have attempted to decrease the number of veterans with opioid prescriptions for pain management, these efforts focus on analyzing VA data only. Given that many Veterans receive care and treatment from non-VA community clinics and medical centers, it is imperative to study suicide or accidental overdose risk amongst Veterans with pain disorders by analyzing both VA and non-VA data. The overall objective of this proposal is to integrate large-scale VA and non-VA data across New York, Chicago and Florida to study the risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, suicide and accidental opioid overdose deaths in Veterans receiving chronic opioid therapy (COT).
