Opioid Prescribing to Adolescents upon Discharge from an Admission of 48 Hours or Less

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine prescribing patterns and identify characteristics associated with an adolescent being prescribed an opioid at time of discharge from a hospital stay of 48 hours or less. We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of EHR data from a pediatric health system. Our sample included 2,180 patient visits resulting in a pain medication prescribed at time of discharge. We found 35% of the sample received a prescription for an opioid medication upon discharge. Both patient and clinical factors such as age, insurance status, pain scores, and unit of discharge were significantly associated with increased odds of receiving an opioid upon discharge. This work contributes to understanding how an adolescent population is exposed to opioids through the healthcare system. Characterizing opioids prescribed upon discharge is one step towards a better understanding of how opioids enter communities and impact public health.

Keywords:

• adolescent health
• analgesics
• opioids

Acknowledgements

We thank the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) program and the Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation for their education and training support of the lead author. Additionally, we thank Dr. Peggy Compton, Sarah Klieger, and Rachel Rogers for their expertise and support.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation; and supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under [17T7MC30798] Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH). This information or content and conclusion are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. government.