Comparison of Opioids Prescribed by Advanced Practice Clinicians vs Surgeons After Surgical Procedures in the US
Authors' conclusion
In this cross-sectional analysis, one-fifth of perioperative opioid prescriptions and one-quarter of refill prescriptions were written by APCs.
Study context
- Population
- Adults and children with private insurance or Medicare Advantage who underwent 1 of 31 inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures (US, January 1, 2017, through November 30, 2019) with ≥1 perioperative opioid prescription
- Participants
- 628,197 procedures
- Exposure
- Opioid prescriptions written by advanced practice clinicians (APCs) vs surgeons
- Outcome
- Proportion of perioperative opioid prescriptions and refill prescriptions written by APCs
Methodological detailsclaims database (Optum's De-Identified Clinformatics Data Mart), Data analyzed from April 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022
- Claims database (Optum's De-Identified Clinformatics Data Mart)
- Data analyzed from April 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prescriptions written by APCs
Perioperative opioid prescriptions written by APCs (119 266 of 628 197)
19.0%
Refill prescriptions written by APCs (59 679 of 237 740)
25.1%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Adjusted difference (MMEs) (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total dosage of perioperative opioid prescriptions (MME)Linear regression, adjusted | 40.0 (31.3–48.7) | |
| Total dosage of perioperative opioid prescriptions, opioid-naïve patients (subgroup) | 15.7 (13.9–17.5) | |
| −200204060Difference, MMEs (linear scale) |
Original publication
Comparison of Opioids Prescribed by Advanced Practice Clinicians vs Surgeons After Surgical Procedures in the US. JAMA Netw Open. Published 3 January 2023. doi:10.
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