TY - JOUR
T1 - Racial differences in opioid use for chronic nonmalignant pain
AU - Chen, Ian
AU - Kurz, James
AU - Pasanen, Mark
AU - Faselis, Charles
AU - Panda, Mukta
AU - Staton, Lisa J.
AU - O'Rorke, Jane
AU - Menon, Madhusudan
AU - Genao, Inginia
AU - Wood, Jo Ann
AU - Mechaber, Alex J.
AU - Rosenberg, Eric
AU - Carey, Tim
AU - Calleson, Diane
AU - Cykert, Sam
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr. Wood was supported in part by a Professional Development Grant, University of Louisville.
Funding Information:
The UNC Faculty Development Fellowship in Primary Care 1-D14-HP00169-01 was supported by the Bureau of Health Professions of the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Funding Information:
Dr. Chen was supported in part by the Excellence in Primary Care Research Training Grant D14-HP-00182 from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Funding Information:
Dr. Carey is supported in part by funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Grant number P01 HS10861, and by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Grant number P60 MD00244.
Funding Information:
Dr. Kurz was supported in part by the UNC University Research Council, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
PY - 2005/7
Y1 - 2005/7
N2 - BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a frequent cause of suffering and disability that negatively affects patients' quality of life. There is growing evidence that disparities in the treatment of pain occur because of differences in race. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether race plays a role in treatment decisions involving patients with chronic nonmalignant pain in a primary care population. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to patients with chronic nonmalignant pain and their treating physicians at 12 academic medical centers. We enrolled 463 patients with nonmalignant pain persisting for more than 3 consecutive months and the primary care physicians participating in their care. RESULTS: Analysis of the 397 black and white patients showed that blacks had significantly higher pain scores (6.7 on a scale of 0 to 10. 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.4 to 7.0) compared with whites (5.6. 95% CI 5.3 to 5.9); however, white patients were more likely to be taking opioid analgesics compared with blacks (45.7% vs 32.2%, P<.006). Even after controlling for potentially confounding variables, white patients were significantly more likely (odds ratio (OR) 2.67, 95% CI 1.71 to 4.15) to be taking opioid analgesics than black patients. There were no differences by race in the use of other treatment modalities such as physical therapy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories or in the use of specialty referral. CONCLUSION: Equal treatment by race occurs in nonopioid-related therapies, but white patients are more likely than black patients to be treated with opioids. Further studies are needed to better explain this racial difference and define its effect on patient outcomes.
AB - BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a frequent cause of suffering and disability that negatively affects patients' quality of life. There is growing evidence that disparities in the treatment of pain occur because of differences in race. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether race plays a role in treatment decisions involving patients with chronic nonmalignant pain in a primary care population. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to patients with chronic nonmalignant pain and their treating physicians at 12 academic medical centers. We enrolled 463 patients with nonmalignant pain persisting for more than 3 consecutive months and the primary care physicians participating in their care. RESULTS: Analysis of the 397 black and white patients showed that blacks had significantly higher pain scores (6.7 on a scale of 0 to 10. 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.4 to 7.0) compared with whites (5.6. 95% CI 5.3 to 5.9); however, white patients were more likely to be taking opioid analgesics compared with blacks (45.7% vs 32.2%, P<.006). Even after controlling for potentially confounding variables, white patients were significantly more likely (odds ratio (OR) 2.67, 95% CI 1.71 to 4.15) to be taking opioid analgesics than black patients. There were no differences by race in the use of other treatment modalities such as physical therapy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories or in the use of specialty referral. CONCLUSION: Equal treatment by race occurs in nonopioid-related therapies, but white patients are more likely than black patients to be treated with opioids. Further studies are needed to better explain this racial difference and define its effect on patient outcomes.
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U2 - 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.0106.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.0106.x
M3 - Review article
C2 - 16050852
AN - SCOPUS:22644432196
SN - 0884-8734
VL - 20
SP - 593
EP - 598
JO - Journal of general internal medicine
JF - Journal of general internal medicine
IS - 7
ER -