The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on opioid prescribing for patients with pleuritic pain.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We sought to understand opioid prescribing for COVID-19 positive and negative patients with pleuritic pain during the first wave of the pandemic. We hypothesized that patients without COVID-19 would be prescribed opioids more frequently intrapandemic compared to prepandemic and postulated that COVID-19 patients would be prescribed opioids more frequently and at greater quantity than their peers. DESIGN: A retrospective observational analysis of electronic health record data. SETTING: A quaternary academic hospital from February through April 2020. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1,400 of 3,169 adult inpatient hospitalizations involving pleuritic pain were included. MAIN MEASURES: Frequency and average daily dose of opioid prescriptions were analyzed using logistic and linear regression. Opioid prescribing habits were compared pre- and intrapandemic. Hypotheses and primary outcome measures were formulated prior to data collection. KEY RESULTS: During the pandemic, COVID-19 patients were 15.77 absolute percentage points less likely to be prescribed opioids compared to patients without COVID-19 (95 percent confidence interval (CI) -8.98 to -22.56 percent). Patients without COVID-19 were equally likely to be prescribed opioids pre- and intrapandemic (95 percent CI -9.37 to 2.42 percent). Odds ratio of opioid prescription for COVID-19 patients was 0.44 (95 percent CI 0.08-0.80). Within those given opioids, COVID-19 patients were prescribed 3.0 percent greater morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) (95 percent CI 1.07-5.85 percent). CONCLUSION: During the first wave of the pandemic, COVID-19 patients with pleuritic pain were prescribed opioids less frequently than patients without COVID-19, while patients without COVID-19 were equally likely to be prescribed opioid pre- and intrapandemic. On the other hand, COVID-19 patients treated with opioids were given greater daily MMEs due to the greater utilization of opioid infusions.