Cited by 152Opioid Use Disorder TreatmentPain Management and Opioid UseHealth disparities and outcomes

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 28 of the 28 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 3 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

The impact of neighborhood socioeconomic status and race on the prescribing of opioids in emergency departments throughout the United States

Open access

Abstract

Background Racial and ethnic disparities in opioid prescribing in the emergency department (ED) are well described, yet the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) remains unclear. Objectives (1) To examine the effect of neighborhood SES on the prescribing of opioids for moderate to severe pain; and (2) to determine if racial disparities in opioid prescribing persist after accounting for SES. Design We used cross-sectional data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey between 2006 and 2009 to examine the prescribing of opioids to patients presenting with moderate to severe pain (184 million visits). We used logistic regression to examine the association between the prescribing of opioids, SES, and race. Models were adjusted for age, sex, pain-level, injury-status, frequency of emergency visits, hospital type, and region. Main measures Our primary outcome measure was whether an opioid was prescribed during a visit for moderate to severe pain. SES was determined based on income, percent poverty, and educational level within a patient's zip code. Results Opioids were prescribed more frequently at visits from patients of the highest SES quartile compared to patients in the lowest quartile, including percent poverty (49.0 % vs. 39.4 %, P<0.001), household income (47.3 % vs. 40.7 %, P<0.001), and educational level (46.3 % vs. 42.5 %, P=0.01). Black patients were prescribed opioids less frequently than white patients across all measures of SES. In adjusted models, black patients (AOR 0.73; 95 % CI 0.66–0.81) and patients from poorer areas (AOR 0.76; 95 % CI 0.68–0.86) were less likely to receive opioids after accounting for pain-level, age, injury-status, and other covariates. Conclusions Patients presenting to emergency departments from lower SES regions were less likely to receive opioids for equivalent levels of pain than those from more affluent areas. Black and Hispanic patients were also less likely to receive opioids for equivalent levels of pain than whites, independent of SES.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

In NHAMCS 2006–2009, ED patients with moderate-to-severe pain from lower-SES neighborhoods were less likely to receive opioids than those from more affluent neighborhoods. Black and Hispanic patients were also less likely to receive opioids than white and non-Hispanic patients, and these disparities persisted after adjustment for neighborhood SES.

Key findings

  • Opioid prescribing was lower in the lowest vs highest SES quartiles: poverty 39.4% vs 49.0% (P<0.001), income 40.7% vs 47.3% (P<0.001), and education 42.5% vs 46.3% (P=0.01).
  • In adjusted models, patients in high-poverty areas (>20% poverty) were less likely to receive opioids than those in low-poverty areas (<5%): AOR 0.76, 95% CI 0.68–0.84.
  • Black patients received opioids less often than white patients (38.7% vs 46.4%, P<0.001); adjusted models accounting for SES showed lower odds (poverty AOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.67–0.80; income AOR 0.71, 95% CI 0.65–0.78; education AOR 0.69, 95% CI 0.63–0.76).
  • Hispanic patients received opioids less often than non-Hispanic patients (40.4% vs 44.9%, P<0.001); adjusted AORs were 0.83 (0.75–0.91) for poverty, 0.83 (0.74–0.88) for income, and 0.80 (0.73–0.88) for education. No trend in opioid prescribing by race was found from 2006 to 2009.

Methods

  • Cross-sectional analysis of National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) data from 2006–2009, including adults ≥18 presenting to EDs with moderate-to-severe pain; weighted to national estimates (abstract reports 184 million visits).
  • Primary outcome: whether an opioid was prescribed. Neighborhood SES was measured by zip-code quartiles for poverty, median household income, and education; race was white/black/other and ethnicity Hispanic/non-Hispanic.
  • Logistic regression models, weighted for complex sampling, with separate models for each SES measure and adjustment for age, sex, pain severity, injury status, prior ED visits, hospital type, region, and metropolitan status.

Limitations

  • Stated: SES was defined only by five-digit zip code, so patient-level SES beyond neighborhood quartiles was unavailable; sample size did not allow examining Asian or other racial groups separately; quantity and strength of opioids were not available; clinician race/ethnicity, institutional/prescriber factors, and use of testing or prescription monitoring were not accounted for.
  • Stated: SES was missing for approximately 5.7% of visits, and those visits were excluded.
  • Evident: the cross-sectional observational design cannot establish causality and may leave residual confounding.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1007/s11606-013-2516-z

Cites

28 of 28 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

19 Own result · 12 Own method · 4 Own interpretation · 3 Sources not found

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  • Probably not a substantial claim. 10
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 6
12 of 12
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The influence of neighborhood socioeconomic status on opioid prescribing for pain in the emergency department is unknown.

    “Although racial and ethnic disparities in opioid prescribing in the emergency departments remains steady, the broader influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on the treatment of patients' pain is unknown.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Whether differences in socioeconomic status explain some of the racial and ethnic disparities in opioid prescribing in the emergency setting is unknown.

    “Additionally, it is unknown whether differences in SES may explain some of the racial and ethnic disparities previously observed in opioid prescribing in the emergency setting.”
2 of 2

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Citations

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. National Center for Health Statistics. NCHS public-use data files and documentation: National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS)—2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. Available at: ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/health_statistics/nchs/dataset_documentation/nhamcs .

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Metadata

Authors
Joynt, M., Train, M. K., Robbins, B. W., Halterman, J. S., Caiola, E., & Fortuna, R. J.
Affiliations
University of Rochester Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Fortuna, Robert J.
Venue
Journal of General Internal Medicine
Published
2013-06-25
Volume
28
Issue
12
Pages
1604-1610
ISSN
  • 0884-8734 (ISSN-L)
  • 1525-1497
OpenAlex
W2147530350
Cited by
152
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3
FWCI
5.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of General Internal Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (submittedVersion)
  • Deep Blue (University of Michigan) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Opioid Use
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
Keywords
opioid prescribing, neighborhood socioeconomic status, racial disparities, emergency department visits, moderate to severe pain, Black patients, Hispanic patients, poverty, household income, educational attainment, pain management
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Analgesics, Opioid, Cross-Sectional Studies, Emergency Service, Hospital, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pain, Practice Patterns, Physicians', Poverty, Residence Characteristics, Social Class, United States, Racial Groups, Young Adult

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