Researchers examined national insurance claims data on 988,036 women from a single private payer from the period between Jan. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2016. They paid special attention to prescription timing and size.
Around 1.7 percent of women with vaginal deliveries and 2.2 percent with cesarean deliveries displayed persistent opioid use, according to the report, which defines “persistence” as two prescription refills within a year following delivery. Though overall persistence declined between 2008 and 2016, the study found an association between higher rates of persistent opioid use and pre-delivery prescriptions, cesarean sections and hysterectomies.
“This study shows that there continues to be a chance to really intervene on the prevention side,” said Marian Jarlenski, PhD, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Dr. Jarlenski was not involved in the study.
More articles on opioids:
400+ US counties at high risk for opioid overdose deaths
New Jersey is 1st state to let paramedics administer buprenorphine
Study backs lower opioid doses after surgery
