Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Trends and regional variation in opioid overdose mortality among Veterans Health Administration patients, fiscal year 2001 to 2009.

Bohnert AS, Ilgen MA, Trafton JA, Kerns RD, Eisenberg A, Ganoczy D, Blow FC. Trends and regional variation in opioid overdose mortality among Veterans Health Administration patients, fiscal year 2001 to 2009. The Clinical Journal of Pain. 2014 Jul 1; 30(7):605-12.

Related HSR&D Project(s)

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: Opioid-related mortality has increased in the United States in the past decade. The purpose of this study was to examine trends and regional variation in opioid prescribing and overdose rates in a national health system, the Veterans Health Administration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Annual cohorts of Veterans Health Administration patients were identified on the basis of medical records, and overdose mortality was determined from National Death Index records. State-level prescribing and overdose rates were mapped to provide information on regional variability. RESULTS: There were significant increases between 2001 and 2009 in the rate of overdoses associated with nonsynthetic opioids (ß = 0.53, 95% confidence interval, 0.35, 0.70) and methadone (ß = 0.63, 95% confidence interval, 0.37, 0.90) but not synthetic/semisynthetic opioids. State-level overdose rates had a moderate correlation with the average proportion of patients in that state receiving opioids (r = 0.29). DISCUSSION: The present study demonstrates that the increases in prescription opioid overdoses observed in the general population are also found in the patient population of a national health system and provides further evidence of the population-level association between trends in opioid prescribing and opioid overdose deaths. There is substantial regional variation in both opioid prescribing and opioid-related overdose rates, and these data can inform region-specific overdose prevention strategies and opioid policy.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.