New Study Shows Personalized Prescribing Could Reduce Opioid Prescribing Rates

While drug overdose deaths hit an all-time high in 2021, emergency departments prioritize personalized feedback among peers, doctors and clinicians prescribe, a new analysis from the Annals of Emergency Medicine shows.

From January 2019 to July 2021, opioid prescriptions by physicians fell by 35 percent, with nurse practitioners and physician assistants' The percentage dropped by 41%

"The impact of peer-to-peer feedback on opioid prescribing is immediate and profound," said Jesse Pine, MD, MBA, FACEP, National Director of Clinical Innovation for Acute Care Solutions, Drexel University Emergency Professor of Medicine and senior author of the study

A study titled "Reduction in Opioid Prescribing Following Implementation of a Feedback Program in Emergency Departments Nationwide," published in the May edition of the Annals of Emergency Medicine, is the best known so far for emergency clinicians.

A drop in opioid prescriptions was evident among the most common diagnoses, the study showed

Although emergency departments in general are not a significant source of opioid prescriptions, emergency physicians continue to lead programs to reduce opioid prescriptions and can be adjusted by other health care professionals

"This study provides a promising model for clinicians and administrators to limit opioid prescribing in a variety of different emergency department settings," said study lead author Jonathan Oskvarek, director of the U.