Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29914572›Full record

ArticleBMC pharmacology & toxicology2018

Prescription opioid dispensing in New South Wales, Australia: spatial and temporal variation.

M Mofizul Islam, Ian S McRae, Soumya Mazumdar, Paul Simpson, Dennis Wollersheim, Kaniz Fatema, Tony Butler

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC pharmacology & toxicology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

M Mofizul IslamDepartment of Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. mofi.islam@latrobe.edu.au.ORCID 0000-0003-1330-863X
Ian S McRaeResearch School of Population Health, ANU College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Soumya MazumdarHealthy People and Place Unit, Population Health, Liverpool Hospital, South West Sydney Local Health District, New South Wales Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Paul SimpsonThe Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Dennis WollersheimDepartment of Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Kaniz FatemaCentre for Health Equity Training, Research & Evaluation (CHETRE), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Tony ButlerThe Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
UNSW Sydney · AULa Trobe University · AUAustralian National University · AULiverpool Hospital · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatterns of opioid dispensing often exhibit substantial temporal and geographical variability, which has implications for public health policy decisions and interventions. The study examined recent trends in prescription opioid dispensing and identified high dispensing areas and factors associated with the doses dispensed.

methodsThree years (1 January 2013-31 December 2015) of dispensing data of prescription opioids in local government areas (LGAs) for New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state, were analyzed. The proportion of individuals who were dispensed opioids was computed for four age-groups. A Chi-square test was used to examine trends over time in proportions of the population who were dispensed opioids in four age-groups. The number of prescriptions over time and quantities in daily defined dose/1000 people/day (denoted DDD) were also examined. LGAs with relatively high levels of dispensing were identified and mapped. A multivariate regression model was used to identify factors associated with DDD.

resultsOverall, codeine, oxycodone and tramadol were the main opioids in terms of DDD, number of prescriptions and number of individuals who were dispensed these medications. Quantity (in DDD), and population dispensed to were consistently higher for women than men over time. Proportions of individuals who were dispensed opioids increased significantly over time in all four age-groups. In the multivariate model, age, urbanization, sex and socio-economic indexes for areas were significantly associated with doses dispensed among opioid users. All areas with very high dispensing were outside major metropolitan areas.

conclusionsGiven that over-use of opioids is a major public health problem and that long-term use has substantial side effects including dependence, it is important to understand spatial patterns of opioid prescribing to enable targeted interventions. Nationwide implementation of real-time drug-monitoring programs and access to monitoring databases from both doctor and pharmacy point-of-care sources may potentially reduce excessive and undue use of opioid.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedAnalgesics, OpioidChildChild, PreschoolDrug PrescriptionsDrug UtilizationFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleMiddle AgedNew South WalesYoung AdultAnalgesics, OpioidAustraliaDispensingNew South WalesOpioidPain medicinePrescription opioid

Identifiers

PMID29914572
PMCPMC6006696
OpenAlexW2807926930

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.