Characteristics of patients with long-term opioid use in British Columbia, historical control cohort versus policy cohort*
| Characteristic | No. (%) of patients | ASD, % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Historical control cohort n = 68 429 | Policy cohort n = 68 113 | ||
| Demographic | |||
| Sex | |||
| Female | 36 894 (53.9) | 36 903 (54.2) | 0.5 |
| Male | 31 535 (46.1) | 31 210 (45.8) | 0.5 |
| Age, yr | |||
| < 25 | 473 (0.7) | 388 (0.6) | 1.5 |
| 25–39 | 6376 (9.3) | 5925 (8.7) | 2.2 |
| 40–54 | 20 946 (30.6) | 19 848 (29.1) | 3.2 |
| 55–64 | 18 779 (27.4) | 19 249 (28.3) | 1.8 |
| 65–74 | 11 670 (17.0) | 12 391 (18.2) | 3.0 |
| 75–84 | 6921 (10.1) | 7015 (10.3) | 0.6 |
| ≥ 85 | 3264 (4.8) | 3297 (4.8) | 0.3 |
| Low income | 13 222 (19.3) | 12 683 (18.6) | 1.8 |
| Place of residence | |||
| Rural | 10 766 (15.7) | 10 726 (15.7) | 0.04 |
| Urban | 57 663 (84.3) | 57 387 (84.2) | 0.04 |
| Medical history in 365 d before follow-up | |||
| Psychiatric illness | 14 994 (21.9) | 14 152 (20.8) | 2.8 |
| Chronic pain condition | |||
| Mechanical neck or back pain† | 9738 (14.2) | 9815 (14.4) | 0.5 |
| Mechanical low back pain | 12 900 (18.8) | 13 477 (19.8) | 2.4 |
| Osteoarthritis | 6778 (9.9) | 6723 (9.9) | 0.1 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 1619 (2.4) | 1566 (2.3) | 0.4 |
| Diabetic neuropathy | 239 (0.3) | 262 (0.4) | 0.6 |
| Peripheral neuropathy | 230 (0.3) | 262 (0.4) | 0.8 |
| Lumbar radiculopathy | 182 (0.3) | 221 (0.3) | 1.1 |
| Alcohol dependence or abuse | 1307 (1.9) | 1311 (1.9) | 0.1 |
| Opioid use disorder | 821 (1.2) | 931 (1.4) | 1.5 |
| Romano comorbidity score | 0.8 | ||
| 0 | 36 447 (53.3) | 36 000 (52.8) | |
| 1 | 17 146 (25.1) | 16 965 (24.9) | 0.3 |
| 2 | 7074 (10.3) | 7320 (10.7) | 1.3 |
| ≥ 3 | 7762 (11.3) | 7828 (11.5) | 0.5 |
| Prescription history in 180 d before follow-up | |||
| Opioid substitution therapy | 943 (1.4) | 909 (1.3) | 0.4 |
| Maximum daily opioid analgesic dosage dispensed, MME | |||
| Lower (≤ 50) | 41 679 (60.9) | 42 565 (62.5) | 3.3 |
| Intermediate (> 50 to 90) | 12 987 (19.0) | 12 753 (18.7) | 0.7 |
| High (> 90 to 200) | 8598 (12.6) | 8144 (12.0) | 1.9 |
| Very high (> 200) | 5165 (7.5) | 4651 (6.8) | 2.8 |
| Intensity of opioid analgesic use‡ | |||
| Lower (< 90 days’ supply) | 10 648 (15.6) | 10 471 (15.4) | 0.5 |
| Higher (≥ 90 days’ supply) | 57 781 (84.4) | 57 642 (84.6) | 0.5 |
| Sedative/hypnotic medication use | 30 291 (44.3) | 28 737 (42.2) | 4.2 |