Growing use of opioids to treat chronic non-cancer pain, particularly at high doses, has been the cause of considerable concern for clinicians and policy-makers as these high doses have been associated with morbidity and mortality including fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses, falls, fractures and injuries in motor vehicle accidents.
This study investigates whether national clinical practice guidelines released in 2010 and provincial drug policy legislation implemented in 2011 impacted the prevalence of high-dose opioid prescribing and rates of hospital visits for opioid toxicity in Ontario.
Access the full article and associated resources: