Psychiatric services : a journal of the American Psychiatric Association
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This study examined the distribution of opioid prescribing across providers and patients and the extent to which concentrated distribution predicts opioid misuse. ⋯ Whereas current policies emphasize reducing opioid prescriptions across all patients and providers, study results suggest that focusing policies on high-volume opioid users and prescribers may be more beneficial.
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Opioid analgesic abuse is a complex and relatively new public health problem, and to date little is known about how the news media frame the issue. ⋯ Findings underscore the need for a concerted effort to reframe opioid analgesic abuse as a treatable condition addressable via well-established public and behavioral health approaches.