Article Figures & Tables
Figures
- Figure 1:
Flow chart for patient selection.
Tables
Characteristic No. (%) of participants† Age, yr; mean ± SD 52.5 ±13.1 Gender Female 90 (62.1) Male 55 (37.9) Educational level High school not completed 26 (17.9) High school graduate 41 (28.3) College degree 55 (37.9) University degree 23 (15.9) Duration of opioid use 6 mo to 1 yr 12 (8.3) 1−5 yr 49 (33.8) > 5−10 yr 44 (30.3) >10 yr 40 (27.6) Opioid use Hydromorphone 52 (35.9) Oxycodone 51 (35.2) Codeine 17 (11.7) Fentanyl 16 (11.0) Methadone 16 (11.0) Morphine 16 (11.0) Tramadol 8 (5.5) Daily morphine equivalent dose, mg; median (IQR) 180 (60−501) Presenting clinical condition‡ Chronic low back pain 94 (64.8) Chronic neck pain 46 (31.7) Fibromyalgia 30 (20.7) Chronic headaches 26 (17.9) Rheumatoid arthritis 21 (14.5%) Diabetic neuropathy 12 (8.3) Chronic whiplash 7 (4.8) Currently receiving disability (wage replacement) benefits Yes 99 (68.3) No 46 (31.7) Note: IQR = interquartile range, SD = standard deviation. *Four patients provided incomplete information for 1 or more of the table items, and we restricted our analyses to those patients (n = 145) who provided complete information. †Unless otherwise specified. ‡The total is greater than 145 because patients were allowed to endorse more than 1 response option.
- Table 2: Patient-reported v. confirmed prescriptions for opioids among patients receiving long-term opioid therapy (n = 149)*
Variable No. (%) Codeine Oxycodone Tramadol Hydromorphone Methadone Morphine Other opioid Patients with a confirmed prescription 17 (11.4) 51 (34.2) 8 (5.4) 52 (34.9) 16 (10.7) 16 (10.7) 18 (12.1)† Patients who did not report a confirmed prescription 3 (2.0) 0 (0.0) 3 (2.0) 5 (3.4) 1 (0.7) 4 (2.7) 12 (8.0)† Patients who reported a prescription that they did not have 6 (4.0) 7 (4.7) 1 (0.7) 10 (6.7) 2 (1.3) 6 (4.0) 26 (17.4)‡ *Total numbers across rows are greater than 149 because some patients were prescribed more than 1 opioid. †These were fentanyl patches in all cases. ‡Respondents listed the following drugs as opioids: desipramine, nortriptyline, gabapentin, baclofen, lorazepam, nabilone, pregabalin, naproxen and duloxetine.
Impact No. (%)
of patientsDegree of pain relief (n = 143) < 20% 11 (7.7) 21%−40% 26 (18.2) 41%−60% 49 (34.3) 61%−80% 48 (33.6) > 81% 9 (6.3) Degree of functional improvement (n = 142) < 20% 14 (9.9) 21%−40% 32 (22.5) 41%−60% 50 (35.2) 61%−80% 38 (26.8) > 81% 8 (5.6) Employment status (n = 144) Full-time hours, unmodified duties 5 (3.5) Full-time hours, modified duties 5 (3.5) Part-time hours, unmodified duties 6 (4.2) Part-time hours, modified duties 8 (5.6) Not working 103 (71.5) Housekeeper/stay-at-home parent 3 (2.1) Student 1 (0.7) Retired 13 (9.0) The adverse effects associated with opioid use are problematic (n = 142) Strongly agree 28 (19.7) Agree 38 (26.8) Undecided 17 (12.0) Disagree 33 (23.2) Strongly disagree 26 (18.3) - Table 4: Patient impressions of the educational pamphlet “Are you thinking about taking opioids (painkillers) for your pain?”
Patient impression No. (%) of patients Strongly agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly disagree I was aware of this information before starting on long-term opioid therapy (n = 143) 43 (30.1) 64 (44.8) 18 (12.6) 10 (7.0) 8 (5.6) This information makes me feel more positively about long-term opioid therapy (n = 143) 25 (17.5) 61 (42.7) 43 (30.1) 13 (9.1) 1 (0.7) If I had this information before I began long-term opioid therapy, I would have decided against long-term opioid therapy (n = 143) 1 (0.7) 7 (4.9) 23 (16.1) 66 (46.2) 46 (32.2) Having read this information now, I am thinking about stopping or decreasing my use of opioids (n = 143) 0 10 (7.0) 24 (16.8) 53 (37.1) 56 (39.2) The pamphlet was too complicated/confusing (n = 142) 1 (0.7) 4 (2.8) 16 (11.3) 66 (46.5) 55 (38.7) The pamphlet provided too much information (n = 141) 0 6 (4.3) 16 (11.3) 72 (51.1) 47 (33.3) The pamphlet provided too little information (n = 141) 3 (2.1) 21 (14.9) 19 (13.5) 65 (46.1) 33 (23.4) Reading the pamphlet answered all my questions about long-term opioid therapy (n = 141) 22 (15.6) 55 (39.0) 38 (27.0) 23 (16.3) 4 (2.1) Reading the pamphlet reduced my fears about long-term opioid use (n = 141) 12 (8.5) 51 (36.2) 48 (34.0) 24 (17.0) 6 (4.3) Reading the pamphlet increased my fears about long-term opioid use (n = 141) 0 16 (11.3) 20 (14.2) 73 (51.8) 32 (22.7)
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Characteristics of patients receiving long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain: a cross-sectional survey of patients attending the Pain Management Centre at Hamilton General Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario
