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Opioid use in EDs grows, but disparities persist

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 4, 2008

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The proportion of emergency department patients complaining of pain who were given opioids increased by 44% from 1993 to 2005, according to a study in the Jan. 2 Journal of the American Medical Association.

One in four ED patients with pain complaints received opioids in 1993, compared with more than one-third in 2005. Racial and ethnic disparities, however, were found in the study of 150,000 pain-related ED visits. While 31% of whites secured opioids, only 24% of blacks and Hispanics did. The disparities did not diminish over time, despite increased efforts to address racial and ethnic gaps in care.

"This study provides a particularly compelling reminder that treatment disparities persist among racial and ethnic groups," said Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, director of the Dept. of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

AHRQ funded the study. "We have a lot of work to do before high-quality health care is available to everyone."

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/02/04/prbf0204.htm.

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