| Year Funded: 2011 | Budget: $64,009.00 | Funding Agency: Institute for Work & Health (IWH), Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Title: | Early Opioid Prescriptions for Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Low Back: Understanding Utilization Patterns, Determinants, and Impact on Work Disability (IWH Project 2170) | |
| Category: | Occupational Disease, Injury and Health Services | |
| Subcategory: | Occupational Health Services | |
| Keywords: | Opioids, prescription patterns, low back pain, work disability, health care utilization | |
| Link to research website: | www.iwh.on.ca | |
Issue:
Increasing use of prescription opioids for musculoskeletal disorders is a major concern for workers’ compensation insurers, including the WSIB. Recent studies suggest opioids are being provided to claimants increasingly earlier and these early prescriptions lead to prolonged work disability. However, methodological limitations of these studies cast doubt on the accuracy of conclusions.
Objectives:
The objective of this study is to address the limita¬tions of previous studies and determine whether opioids prescribed within eight weeks of a new lost-time low back pain claim are associated with work disability. To inform this objective, the study will also examine patterns of health care received two years before claim and patterns of opioid prescriptions one year post-claim and their associated factors. The study will conduct analyses using data on workers’ compensa¬tion benefits, health care utilization, and prescriptions. Study findings will provide a com¬prehensive picture of opioid prescribing patterns among claimants and their impact on work.
Anticipated Results:
The study will generate new knowledge on patterns of pre-claim LBP-related health care, as well as a comprehensive picture of prescription opioid patterns in a Canadian sample of WRLBP claimants over time and their associated factors. The rich data sources and analytic approach to address issues of bias will provide a novel contribution to understanding of whether early opioid prescriptions for WRLBP are associated with prolonged work disability. The findings will have important implications for workers‟ compensation boards seeking to develop policies related to opioids for WRLBP and will also inform existing policies, including WSIB‟s Narcotic Strategy. Results will be relevant to physicians seeking evidence-based knowledge to guide clinical management practices and workers seeking pain management options contributing to recovery.
Investigators:
Sheilah J. Hogg-Johnson (Institute for Work & Health)
