Trends in Opioid Use Disorder in Veterans
Author Information
Author(s): Gorfinkel Lauren R. MD MPH, Malte Carol A. MSW, Fink David S. PhD, Mannes Zachary L. PhD MPH, Wall Melanie M. PhD, Olfson Mark MD MPH, Livne Ofir MD MPH, Keyhani Salomeh MD, Keyes Katherine M. PhD, Martins Silvia S. MD PhD, Cerdá Magdalena DrPH, Gutkind Sarah MSPH, Maynard Charles C. PhD, Saxon Andrew J. MD, Simpson Tracy PhD, Gonsalves Gregg PhD, Lu Haidong PhD, McDowell Yoanna PhD, Hasin Deborah S. PhD
Primary Institution: Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Hypothesis
How did the prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) among patients in the Veterans Health Administration change from 2005 to 2022?
Conclusion
The prevalence of opioid use disorder among Veterans increased until 2017 and then declined by 2022.
Supporting Evidence
- The prevalence of OUD increased from 0.60% in 2005 to 1.16% in 2017.
- OUD diagnoses peaked in 2017 and declined to 0.97% by 2022.
- Most patients diagnosed with OUD were men, with a significant increase in diagnoses among younger veterans.
- Trends in OUD diagnoses varied by race and ethnicity, with declines observed among Hispanic and Black patients.
Takeaway
This study looked at how many veterans had problems with opioids over time and found that fewer veterans are having these problems now compared to a few years ago.
Methodology
This study used Veterans Health Administration data from 2005 to 2022 to analyze trends in opioid use disorder diagnoses.
Potential Biases
The sample may not be representative of all veterans or adults due to demographic differences.
Limitations
The study may have missed some cases of opioid use disorder due to reliance on diagnosis codes from administrative records.
Participant Demographics
The majority of participants were men, with varying percentages of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI, 0.60%-0.61%
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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