Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0844-4530

Date Available

12-4-2018

Year of Publication

2018

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

College

Public Health

Department/School/Program

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

First Advisor

Dr. Svetla Slavova

Second Advisor

Dr. Steven Browning

Abstract

Increased opioid analgesic (OA) prescribing has been associated with increased risk of prescription opioid diversion, misuse, and abuse. States established prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) to collect and analyze electronic records for dispensed controlled substances to reduce prescription drug abuse and diversion. PDMP data can be used by prescribers for tracking patient’s history of controlled substance prescribing to inform clinical decisions.

The studies in this dissertation are focused on the less utilized potential of the PDMP data to enhance public health surveillance to monitor OA prescribing and co-prescribing and association with opioid overdose mortality and morbidity. Longitudinal analysis of OA prescribing and evaluation of the effect of recent policies and opioid prescribing guidelines require consensus measures for OA utilization and computational tools for uniform operationalization by researchers and agencies. Statistical macros and computational tools for OA utilization measures were developed and tested with Kentucky PDMP data. A set of covariate measures using mortality and morbidity surveillance data were also developed as proxy measures for prevalence of painful conditions justifying OA utilization, and availability of heroin and medication treatment for opioid use disorder. A series of epidemiological studies used the developed OA measures as outcomes, and adjusted for time-varying socio-demographic and health care utilization covariates in population-averaged statistical models to assess longitudinal trend and pattern changes in OA utilization in Kentucky in recent years. The first study, “Trends and Patterns of OA Prescribing: Regional and Rural-Urban Variations in Kentucky from 2012 to 2015,” shows significant downward trends in rates of residents with OA prescriptions. Despite the significant decline over time, and after accounting for prevalence of injuries and cancer, the rate of dispensed OA prescriptions among residents in Kentucky Appalachian counties remained significantly higher than the rest of the state. The second study, “Population-Level Measures for High-Risk OA Prescribing: Longitudinal Trends and Relationships with Pain-Associated Conditions,” shows significant reduction in high-risk OA prescribing (e.g., high daily dosage, long-term use, concurrent prescriptions for OA and benzodiazepines) from 2012 to 2016, significantly positive associations between high-risk OA prescribing and cancer mortality rates with no substantial change in the association magnitude over time, and declining strengths of positive associations between high-risk OA prescribing and acute traumatic injuries or chronic non-cancer pain over the study period. The third study, “A Reciprocal Association between Longitudinal Trends of Buprenorphine/Naloxone Prescribing and High-Dose OA Prescribing,” indicates a significant reciprocal relationship between high-dose OA prescribing and buprenorphine/ naloxone prescribing, and a clinically meaningful effect of buprenorphine/naloxone prescribing on reducing OA utilization.

The results from the studies advanced the understanding of the epidemiology of opioid use and misuse in Kentucky, and identified actionable risk and protective factors that can inform policy, education, and drug overdose prevention interventions. The developed operational definition inventory and computational tools could stimulate further research in Kentucky and comparative studies in other states.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2018.457

Funding Information

The studies in this dissertation were supported by Grant No. 2014-PM-BX-0010 (Data-Driven Multidisciplinary Approaches to Reducing Prescription Abuse in Kentucky) and Grant No. 2017-PM-BX-K026 (Data-Driven Responses to Prescription Drug Misuse in Kentucky), awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center as bona fide agent for the Kentucky Department for Public Health. The BJA is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Program, which includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office of Victims Crime, and the SMART Office. Viewpoints or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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