describes a typical patient who uses opioids for at least half of the days in a year. Patients who did not meet any of the definitions were categorized as non-persistent. Number of patients for each persistence group was calculated and all analyses were performed using Stata 13. Results: A total of 1,684 opioid prescriptions for 379 patients were dispensed during the study period. Seventy five percent of (n= 283/379) patients were associated with cancer diagnosis while 25% (n= 96/379) with non-cancer diagnosis. The prevalence of persistent opioid users was higher in the non-cancer group (13.5%) compared to the cancer group (9.9%). The prevalence of strict, intermediate, and wide definitions were (23.1% vs. 28.6%), (15.4% vs 10.7%), and (61.5% vs 60.7%) in the non-cancer and cancer groups respectively. ConClusions: Persistent opioid users were more prevalent in the non-cancer group with the majority in the wide and intermediate persistence patterns. Further investigation is required to examine the clinical outcomes related to differential patterns of persistence.
HT4HumanisTic and Economic ouTcomEs of PHarmacisT-ProvidEd mEdicaTion rEviEws in THE EldErly: a sysTEmaTic rEviEw and mETaanalysis
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