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Vol 17, No 1 (2023)
Research paper
Published online: 2023-01-13
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Safe practices for legitimate medical use of opioids: a study of trends in opioids prescription over a decade

Anuja Pandit1, Saurabh Vig1, Shweta Bhopale1, Brajesh Ratre1, Balbir Kumar1, Swati Bhan1, Ram Singh1, Prashant Sirohiya1, Hari Krishna Raju Sagiraju1, Seema Mishra1, Rakesh Garg1, Nishkarsh Gupta1, Sachidanand Bharati1, Vinod Kumar1, Sushma Bhatnagar1
·
Palliat Med Pract 2023;17(1):5-13.
Affiliations
  1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

open access

Vol 17, No 1 (2023)
Research paper
Published online: 2023-01-13

Abstract

Background: An unwavering availability of opioids is crucial for effective pain and palliative care and for managing opioid dependence. This study aims to study the pattern of morphine consumption and the use of safety protocols for prescribing opioids in a tertiary cancer hospital in India. Patients and methods: The medical and pharmacy records were studied retrospectively to investigate the pattern of oral Morphine consumption and distribution from 2008 to 2020. Results: The number of new cancer patients visiting the hospital, the number of re-visits of these patients, and inpatient admissions to palliative care services increased unswervingly from 2008 to 2019 with a sharp fall in 2020 owing to the COVID pandemic. Annual oral morphine consumption showed a steady increase from 4.89 kg in 2008 to 11.53 kg in 2019 with a fall to 5.68 kg in 2020. However, the trend for oral morphine dispensed per patient per visit showed a mild increase from 1.1 grams in 2008 to 2.06 grams in 2012, followed by a gradual decline to 0.89 grams in 2020. Opioid diversion incidence was found to be zero. Conclusions: Comprehensive interventions alongside safety protocols for prescriptions of opioids and effective integration of palliative care can help prevent opioid use disorders.

Abstract

Background: An unwavering availability of opioids is crucial for effective pain and palliative care and for managing opioid dependence. This study aims to study the pattern of morphine consumption and the use of safety protocols for prescribing opioids in a tertiary cancer hospital in India. Patients and methods: The medical and pharmacy records were studied retrospectively to investigate the pattern of oral Morphine consumption and distribution from 2008 to 2020. Results: The number of new cancer patients visiting the hospital, the number of re-visits of these patients, and inpatient admissions to palliative care services increased unswervingly from 2008 to 2019 with a sharp fall in 2020 owing to the COVID pandemic. Annual oral morphine consumption showed a steady increase from 4.89 kg in 2008 to 11.53 kg in 2019 with a fall to 5.68 kg in 2020. However, the trend for oral morphine dispensed per patient per visit showed a mild increase from 1.1 grams in 2008 to 2.06 grams in 2012, followed by a gradual decline to 0.89 grams in 2020. Opioid diversion incidence was found to be zero. Conclusions: Comprehensive interventions alongside safety protocols for prescriptions of opioids and effective integration of palliative care can help prevent opioid use disorders.

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Keywords

opioid prescribing patterns, morphine consumption, patient safety protocols, substance use disorder, cancer pain

About this article
Title

Safe practices for legitimate medical use of opioids: a study of trends in opioids prescription over a decade

Journal

Palliative Medicine in Practice

Issue

Vol 17, No 1 (2023)

Article type

Research paper

Pages

5-13

Published online

2023-01-13

Page views

2191

Article views/downloads

256

DOI

10.5603/PMPI.a2023.0002

Bibliographic record

Palliat Med Pract 2023;17(1):5-13.

Keywords

opioid prescribing patterns
morphine consumption
patient safety protocols
substance use disorder
cancer pain

Authors

Anuja Pandit
Saurabh Vig
Shweta Bhopale
Brajesh Ratre
Balbir Kumar
Swati Bhan
Ram Singh
Prashant Sirohiya
Hari Krishna Raju Sagiraju
Seema Mishra
Rakesh Garg
Nishkarsh Gupta
Sachidanand Bharati
Vinod Kumar
Sushma Bhatnagar

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