New Study Shows Too Many Unsupported Opioid Prescriptions

A new study just published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that almost 30% of opioids prescribed in clinics and physicians’ office in the U.S. are written without a documented reason.  Over 66% of the almost 809 million prescriptions written during outpatient visits over a 10-year period were for noncancer pain; just 5.1% were for cancer-related pain. There was no indication of pain or pain-related diagnoses for the other 28.5%. The lead author of the study, Tisamarie B. Sherry, MD, PhD, suggested that could amount to either inappropriate prescribing of opioids “or merely lax documentation.” While the authors cautioned against presuming there was a sinister reason for prescribing narcotics without a stated indication, that lack of transparency leaves the prescriber’s reasons—whether they’re in accordance with current standards or not—impossible to gauge. As such, it’s unclear whether they need more education on when to prescribe opioids, are too accommodating to patients who request them, or simply should pay more attention to documenting their work.