An Analysis of the Opioid Crisis in Nevada
type: CreativeWork
description: This study examines the Nevada State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) data from 2011 to 2017. While much of the research surrounding the National Opioid crisis focuses on overdose fatalities, this study seeks to examine the more understudied aspect of potential misuse, abuse and diversion in the form of high pill and morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) of these opioid prescriptions in the State of Nevada. High quantities of pills and MMEs are a proxy measure for the potential danger of prescription abuse, misuse, and diversion of opioid pills in the Nevada community. Problem indicators for the misuse of opioid pill prescriptions are defined using prescription and patient level information and include: doctor shopping and pharmacy shopping type behavior, the presence of a combination of an opioid and benzodiazepine within a one-month period, the presence of an opioid, benzodiazepine, and muscle relaxer within a one-month period, receiving prescriptions for more than seven consecutive months within a year, receiving prescriptions that exceeded 90 daily MMEs, payment for a prescription in cash, and using both cash and insurance to pay for the same type of opioid medication within the same year. Outcome variables are defined by high rates of total pills, the number of pills per day, and the daily milligram morphine equivalents (MMEs), as these measures of misuse are the most readily available in terms of the Nevada State PDMP data. Independent sample t-tests and one-way ANOVAs were conducted, resulting in statistically significant differences the total number of pills, number of pills per day, and the daily MME dosages of patients who had a co-occurrence of problem indicators as well as an examination of differences between each indicator. Patients who have a higher rate of co-occurrences of indicators received more opioid pills, have higher pills per day, and higher MME dosages. Patients who score on an indicator have higher rates of total pills, pills per…
abstract: This study examines the Nevada State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) data from 2011 to 2017. While much of the research surrounding the National Opioid crisis focuses on overdose fatalities, this study seeks to examine the more understudied aspect of potential misuse, abuse and diversion in the form of high pill and morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) of these opioid prescriptions in the State of Nevada. High quantities of pills and MMEs are a proxy measure for the potential danger of prescription abuse, misuse, and diversion of opioid pills in the Nevada community. Problem indicators for the misuse of opioid pill prescriptions are defined using prescription and patient level information and include: doctor shopping and pharmacy shopping type behavior, the presence of a combination of an opioid and benzodiazepine within a one-month period, the presence of an opioid, benzodiazepine, and muscle relaxer within a one-month period, receiving prescriptions for more than seven consecutive months within a year, receiving prescriptions that exceeded 90 daily MMEs, payment for a prescription in cash, and using both cash and insurance to pay for the same type of opioid medication within the same year. Outcome variables are defined by high rates of total pills, the number of pills per day, and the daily milligram morphine equivalents (MMEs), as these measures of misuse are the most readily available in terms of the Nevada State PDMP data. Independent sample t-tests and one-way ANOVAs were conducted, resulting in statistically significant differences the total number of pills, number of pills per day, and the daily MME dosages of patients who had a co-occurrence of problem indicators as well as an examination of differences between each indicator. Patients who have a higher rate of co-occurrences of indicators received more opioid pills, have higher pills per day, and higher MME dosages. Patients who score on an indicator have higher rates of total pills, pills per…
author: DeVore, Deena
date published: 2019
date modified: 2026-07-27T21:47:47Z
provider: University of Nevada - Reno
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Nevada - Reno

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11714/5739