Opioid Prescribing Has Significantly Decreased in Primary Care

Am Fam Physician. 2024 Dec;110(6):572-573.

Abstract

Prescription opioids continue to be commonly used for chronic non-cancer pain, despite inherent risks. Primary care physicians and advanced practice clinicians have been integral to driving change in opioid prescribing, preventing overuse, and reducing risk. The authors of this article assessed the current extent of opioid prescribing using publicly available data to identify which specialties are most likely to prescribe opioids and to what extent.

MeSH terms

  • Analgesics, Opioid* / therapeutic use
  • Chronic Pain* / drug therapy
  • Drug Prescriptions / standards
  • Drug Prescriptions / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Practice Patterns, Physicians'*
  • Primary Health Care*
  • United States

Substances

  • Analgesics, Opioid