New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University researchers found better quality of care may reduce the mortality risk in patients who are treated with opioid painkillers, according to News-Medical.
Investigators analyzed records of more than 17,000 Veterans Affairs patients treated with long-term opioid therapy for pain. The patients started opioid therapy between 2000 and 2010. Researchers assessed outcomes a year later.
Here are four things to know:
1. After one year, 6 percent of patients died. However, the researchers noted the patients who received mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and physical rehabilitation were less likely to die within the first six months of starting opioids.
2. The patients receiving benzodiazepines, or sedatives, in addition to opioids, were found to be nearly 1.5 times more likely to die.
3. Patients who did not receive treatment for substance abuse were 2.5 times more likely to die.
4. The findings found no difference in mortality for patients who received recommended follow-up visits or urine drug testing.
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