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Prescription opioid use by injured workers in Tennessee
a descriptive study using linked statewide databases
Durand, Z., Nechuta, S., Krishnaswami, S., Hurwitz, E. L., & McPheeters, M. (2019). Prescription opioid use by injured workers in Tennessee: a descriptive study using linked statewide databases. Annals of Epidemiology, 32, 7-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2019.02.001
Purpose: This is the first study in Tennessee to measure opioid use in injured workers and among the first nationally to use a prescription drug monitoring program to do so. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the prevalence of opioid use after injury and associated characteristics among workers reporting one injury to Tennessee Workers' Compensation.
Methods: Injured workers identified in Workers' Compensation records 2013-2015 were linked to their prescription history in Tennessee's prescription drug monitoring database.
Results: Among 172,256 injured workers, the prevalence of receiving an opioid after injury was 22.8% in 1 week, 29.7% in 1 month, and 33.3% in 6 months. Receiving an opioid was associated with having a fracture (odds ratio, 4.9; 95% confidence interval, 4.64-5.11 vs. other injuries). Hydrocodone short-acting was the most commonly received opioid (69.5% of injured workers), and the mean of each worker's maximum dose was 42.8 morphine milligram equivalents (SD 39.26). Ten percent of injured workers who received opioids also received a benzodiazepine.
Conclusions: Injured workers have a high prevalence of opioid use after injury, but prescribing patterns generally tend to follow Tennessee prescribing guidelines. Published by Elsevier Inc.
