Opioid Prescribing Patterns for Low Back Pain Among Commercially Insured Children

Abstract INTRODUCTION Low back pain (LBP) may affect up to 20% of the pediatric population. No specific guidelines exist regarding pharmacotherapy for acute LBP in the pediatric population. Given this observation and the lack of data available regarding pharmacotherapy for pediatric LBP, we sought to characterize patterns of opioid prescribing in the pediatric population. METHODS We used a national database to identify pediatric patients (age 5-17) with newly diagnosed with LBP between 2008 and 2015 who did not have a red flag diagnosis, had not received an opioid prescription in the 6 mo prior to diagnosis, and had 12-mo of continuous enrollment after diagnosis. We used logistic regression to model the association between sex, geographic region, categorical age, and our primary outcome, receipt of an opioid prescription in the year following diagnosis. RESULTS Our sample included 268 228 opioid-naïve pediatric patients diagnosed with LBP between 2008 and 2015. We observed that 47 631 (17.8%) patients received physical therapy, 29 903 (11.2%) patients received chiropractic manipulative therapy, 658 (0.25%) patients received epidural steroid injection, and 281 (0.10%) patients received surgery. A total of 35 274 (13.2%) pediatric LBP patients were prescribed opioids within 12 mo from their diagnosis. Opioid prescribing decreased in all age groups over the study period age group 5 to 9 decreased from 4.2% to 2.7%, age group 10 to 14 decreased from 10.3% to 7.7%, and age group 15 to 18 yr decreased from 20.9% to 17.1%. Female pediatric patients were more likely than male patients to receive an opioid prescription (OR, 1.12, P < .0001). Patients ages 10 to 14 (OR, 2.89, P < .0001) and 15 to 18 (OR, 6.98, P < .0001) were significantly more likely to be prescribed opioids compared to patients in the youngest age group. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, we report the first observational cohort study of opioids and LBP in the pediatric population. Our findings indicate that opioids are being used for newly diagnosed LBP and receipt of opioids are associated with patient demographic factors.

Download Full-text

Sacroiliac joint pain in the pediatric population

Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics ◽

10.3171/2012.2.peds11220 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 602-607 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Ivan Stoev ◽

Alexander K. Powers ◽

Joan A. Puglisi ◽

Rebecca Munro ◽

Jeffrey R. Leonard

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Pediatric Patients ◽

Pediatric Population ◽

Response To Treatment ◽

Home Exercise ◽

Dramatic Improvement ◽

Minor Trauma ◽

Low Back ◽

Si Joint

Object The sacroiliac (SI) joint can be a pain generator in 13%–27% of cases of back pain in adults. These numbers are largely unknown for the pediatric population. In children and especially girls, development of the pelvic girdle makes the SI joint prone to misalignment. Young athletes sustain repeated stress on their SI joints, and sometimes even minor trauma can result in lasting pain that mimics radiculopathy. The authors present a series of 48 pediatric patients who were evaluated for low-back pain and were found to have SI joint misalignment as the cause of their symptoms. They were treated with a simple maneuver described in this paper that realigned their SI joint and provided significant improvement of symptoms. Methods A retrospective review of the electronic records identified 48 patients who were referred with primary complaints of low-back pain and were determined to have SI joint misalignment during bedside examination maneuvers described here. Three patients did not have a record of their response to treatment and were excluded. Patients were evaluated by a physical therapist and had the realignment procedure performed on the day of initial consultation. The authors collected data regarding the immediate effect of the procedure, as well as the duration of pain relief at follow-up visits. Results Eighty percent of patients experienced dramatic improvement in symptoms that had a lasting effect after the initial treatment. The majority of them were given a home exercise program, and only 2 of the 36 patients who experienced significant relief had to be treated again. Fifty-three percent of all patients had immediate and complete resolution of symptoms. Three of the 48 patients had missing data from the medical records and were excluded from computations. Conclusions Back pain is multifactorial, and the authors' data demonstrate the potential importance of SI joint pathology. Although the technique described here for treatment of misaligned SI joints in the pediatric patients is not effective in all, the authors have observed significant improvement in 80% of cases. Often it is difficult to determine the exact cause of back pain, but when the SI joint is suspected as the primary pathology, the authors have described a simple and effective bedside treatment that should be attempted prior to the initiation of further testing and surgery.

Download Full-text

LO65: Assessing opioid-prescribing patterns for low back pain patients before and after the implementation of clinician performance indicators in the emergency department

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2020.120 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (S1) ◽

pp. S31-S31

Author(s):

F. Yang ◽

J. Dreyer ◽

K. Van Aarsen

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Performance Indicators ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Extended Period ◽

Prescribing Patterns ◽

Low Back ◽

Opioid Prescribing ◽

Left Without Being Seen ◽

Before And After

Introduction: Canada is in the midst of an opioid crisis. The number of apparent opioid-related deaths between January and March 2018 increased by 44% compared to the same period in 2016. The increasing use of prescription opioids and higher doses of opioids can lead to opioid addiction, toxicity and even death. Opioids are commonly prescribed for low back pain management in the ED, but the variability in opioid-prescribing patterns suggested an opportunity for improvement. Our centre implemented Clinician Performance Indicators (CPI) in 2015. CPIs were reported to each ED physician every 3 months and included the percentage of patients who were prescribed opioids. The intent was to raise awareness of opioid-prescribing patterns at our institution. Therefore, we evaluated opioid-prescribing patterns for patients with low back pain (LBP) before and after the CPI implementation. Methods: Data were obtained retrospectively for patients discharged from the ED from July 2015 to December 2018 with LBP-associated ICD 10 codes. We excluded admitted patients, those with specialist consultations, and patients who left without being seen. The primary outcome was opioid prescribing patterns for patients with LBP before and after CPI implementation. We performed a descriptive analysis of the data and compared the prescribing rates pre-implementation (July-Dec 2015) to post-implementation (July-Dec 2016) following a 6-month wash-out period. Moreover, we analyzed opioid-prescribing patterns over an extended period until December 2018. Results: After the exclusion criteria were applied, 8993 patients were included in the analysis. 53.5% were female and the mean (SD) age was 48.3 (19.78). During the three years of the study period, the percentage of LBP patients who received opioids showed a decreasing trend. Comparison of the pre and post CPI implementation periods showed a decrease in opioid prescriptions (42.0% vs 35.5%, 95%CI 2.9% to 10.2%). There was variation in opioids prescribed at our institution, the most common being hydromorphone (29.9%), followed by acetaminophen-oxycodone (24.2%) and acetaminophen-tramadol (20.0%). Conclusion: The implementation of CPIs positively impacted physicians' opioid-prescribing patterns for patients presenting with LBPs at our institution. Future studies are required to further improve the effectiveness of CPIs in influencing opioid-prescribing patterns.

Download Full-text

Predictors of Opioid Prescribing for Non-Malignant Low Back Pain in an Italian Primary Care Setting

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10163699 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (16) ◽

pp. 3699

Author(s):

Simona Cammarota ◽

Valeria Conti ◽

Graziamaria Corbi ◽

Luigi Di Gregorio ◽

Pasquale Dolce ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Pain Intensity ◽

Care Setting ◽

Primary Care Setting ◽

Low Back ◽

Opioid Prescription ◽

Opioid Prescribing ◽

First Pain

This study explores which patient characteristics could affect the likelihood of starting low back pain (LBP) treatment with opioid analgesics vs. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in an Italian primary care setting. Through the computerized medical records of 65 General Practitioners, non-malignant LBP subjects who received the first pain intensity measurement and an NSAID or opioid prescription, during 2015–2016, were identified. Patients with an opioid prescription 1-year before the first pain intensity measurement were excluded. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine predictive factors of opioid prescribing. Results were reported as Odds Ratios (ORs) with a 95% confidence interval (CI), with p < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. A total of 505 individuals with LBP were included: of those, 72.7% received an NSAID prescription and 27.3% an opioid one (64% of subjects started with strong opioid). Compared to patients receiving an NSAID, those with opioid prescriptions were younger, reported the highest pain intensity (moderate pain OR = 2.42; 95% CI 1.48–3.96 and severe pain OR = 2.01; 95% CI 1.04–3.88) and were more likely to have asthma (OR 3.95; 95% CI 1.99–7.84). Despite clinical guidelines, a large proportion of LBP patients started with strong opioid therapy. Asthma, younger age and pain intensity were predictors of opioid prescribing when compared to NSAIDs for LBP treatment.

Download Full-text

Opioid Prescribing Patterns for Low Back Pain Among Commercially Insured Children

Spine ◽

10.1097/brs.0000000000003657 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 45 (21) ◽

pp. E1365-E1366

Author(s):

Tej D. Azad ◽

Michael D. Harries ◽

Anand Veeravagu ◽

John K. Ratliff

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Prescribing Patterns ◽

Low Back ◽

Opioid Prescribing

Download Full-text

Where to Start? A Two Stage Residual Inclusion Approach to Estimating Influence of the Initial Provider on Health Care Utilization and Costs for Low Back Pain in the US

10.21203/rs.3.rs-668823/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kenneth Harwood ◽

Jesse Pines ◽

C. Holly A. Andrilla ◽

Bianca K. Frogner

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

Health Care Utilization ◽

Index Date ◽

Care Utilization ◽

Low Back ◽

Opioid Prescription ◽

Serious Illness

Abstract Background: Diagnostic testing and treatment recommendations can vary when medical care is sought by individuals for low back pain (LBP), leading to variation in quality and costs of care. We examine how first provider seen by an individual at initial diagnosis of LBP influences downstream utilization and costs. Methods: Using national private health insurance claims data, individuals age 18 or older were retrospectively assigned to cohorts based on the first provider seen at the index date of LBP diagnosis. Exclusion criteria included individuals with a diagnosis of LBP or any serious medical conditions, or an opioid prescription recorded in the six months prior to the index date. Outcome measures included use of imaging, back surgery rates, hospitalization rates, emergency department visits, early- and long-term opioid use, and costs (out-of-pocket and total costs of care) twelve months post-index date. We used a common econometric technique, two-stage residual inclusion (2SRI) estimation to reduce selection bias in the choice of first provider, controlling for demographics.Results: Among 3,799,593 individuals, cost and utilization varied considerably based on first provider seen by the patient. The frequency of early opioid prescription was significantly lower when care began with an acupuncturist or chiropractor, and highest for those who began with an emergency medicine physician or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). Long-term opioid prescriptions were low across most providers except physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians and APRNs. The frequency and time to serious illness varied little across providers. Total cost of care was lowest when starting with a chiropractor ($5,093) or primary care physician ($5,660), and highest when starting with an orthopedist ($9,434) or acupuncturist ($9,205). Conclusion: The first provider seen by individuals with LBP was associated with large differences in health care utilization, opioid prescriptions, and cost while there were no differences in delays in diagnosis of serious illness.

Download Full-text