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Geographical, Socioeconomic, and Gender Inequalities in Opioid Use in Catalonia

Authors :
Sara Serra-Pujadas
Cristina Alonso-Buxadé
Júlia Serra-Colomer
Júlia Folguera
Neus Carrilero
Anna García-Altés
Source :
Frontiers in Pharmacology, Vol 12 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
Frontiers Media S.A., 2021.

Abstract

Background: In recent years, worldwide opioid use has seen a sharp increase, especially for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain. Catalonia is no exception to this trend. However, no recent studies have addressed the socioeconomic and gender inequalities in opioid use in the different geographical areas of Catalonia.Methods: We performed an ecological study to analyse the associations between socioeconomic status, gender and the use of opioids in the 372 Health Areas of Catalonia. Robust Poisson models were performed to analyse the data provided from the Central Register of Insured Persons and dispensing data from the Electronic Prescription Database.Results: The results show that socioeconomic status has a major impact on opioid use, with the most deprived areas presenting the highest levels of use. There are major inequalities in the DDD/1,000 inhabitants per areas. Moreover, women have much higher utilization rates than men, especially in more deprived areas. The greatest difference is observed in the use of weak opioids in women: the DDD/1,000 inhabitants per day was 2.34 in the area with the lowest use, compared with 22.18 in the area with the highest use.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that stronger action is needed to promote best practices in prescribing for chronic pain and to reduce socioeconomic and gender variation between geographical areas. This study provides a model for routine monitoring of opioid prescription for targeted interventions aimed at lowering high-dose consumption in specifically identified areas.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
16639812
Volume :
12
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Frontiers in Pharmacology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.bb4d0653611f438d9d90cca40616d1c3
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.750193