High-dose Opioid Prescribing in Primary care for chronic non-cancer pain (HOPiP Study)

Population based studies show that there have been substantial increases in opioid medication prescribing over the last 20 years and that this has been true of stronger opioids, higher doses and use for longer time periods.  There is no evidence for the effectiveness of long-term use of these drugs; however. there is established evidence of dose-dependent risk of harm.  Population based studies can tell us little about those likely to be affected by sustained high doses of opioids.

This study examines opioid prescription data from primary care routinely kept records with three aims:

1. To identify patients with sustained high doses of opioids prescribed.
2. To explore the prescription histories and patterns of these patients.
3. To examine changes in high-dose prescribing over time.

A summary of some early findings can be found here.

https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpo.2021.0217

https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGPO.2022.0134