JAMA network open
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Risk of opioid use disorder, overdose, and death from prescription opioids increases as dosage, duration, and use of extended-release and long-acting formulations increase. States are well suited to respond to the opioid crisis through legislation, regulations, enforcement, surveillance, and other interventions. ⋯ In this study, across 12 years, the mean duration and prescribing rate for long-term prescriptions of opioids increased, whereas the amount of opioids prescribed per person and prescribing rate for high-dosage prescriptions, short-term prescriptions, and extended-release and long-acting formulations decreased. Some decreases were significant, but results were still high. Two- to 3-fold state variation in 5 measures occurred in most states. This information may help when state-specific intervention programs are being designed.
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Inadequate treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in pregnant women increases the risk of life-threatening consequences on maternal and fetal outcomes. Untreated OUD during pregnancy is associated with higher rates of adverse outcomes among newborns. ⋯ These results appeared to show significant variations in the patterns of OUD diagnosis and receipt of medication-assisted treatment among pregnant women, suggesting the need to further explore the source of these variations.