Annals of emergency medicine
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We determine episodic and high-quantity prescribers' contribution to opioid prescriptions and total morphine milligram equivalents in California, especially among individuals prescribed large amounts of opioids. ⋯ Episodic prescribers contribute minimally to total opioid prescriptions, especially among individuals categorized as using high morphine milligram equivalents. Interventions focused on reducing opioid prescriptions in the episodic care setting are unlikely to yield important reductions in the prescription opioid supply; conversely, targeting high-quantity prescribers has the potential to create substantial reductions.
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We characterize hospital admissions among older adults for any cause in the 30 days after a significant natural disaster in the United States. The main outcome was all-cause hospital admissions in the 30 days after natural disaster. Separate analyses were conducted to examine all-cause hospital admissions excluding the 72 hours after the disaster, ICU admissions, all-cause inhospital mortality, and admissions by state. ⋯ When all time-invariant characteristics were controlled for, this natural disaster was associated with a significant increase in all-cause hospitalizations. This analysis quantifies acute care use after disasters through examining all-cause hospitalizations and represents an important contribution to building models of resilience-the ability to recover from a disaster-and hospital surge capacity.
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This study aims to develop and validate measures of experiences of an emergency department (ED) visit suitable for use by older adults or their family members. ⋯ Two scales assessing important aspects of ED care experienced by older adults are ready for further evaluation in other settings.