A new study conducted by researchers from the University Of Rochester Medical Center found that socioeconomic status plays a major role in the prescription of opioid pain medication.
Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center conducted a study to look at the link between socioeconomic status of a person and prescription of opioid pain medication. They were surprised to find that patients in emergency rooms complaining of mild to severe pain were less likely to be given opioid pain medication if they were Hispanic, poor, black or not highly educated.
The study was conducted because of the growing concerns about abuse of narcotic drugs and the need to prescribe such medications for pain. Though racial and ethnic disparities in the medical world are already well-documented, this is the first study to look into the connection between socioeconomic status and the medical treatment they receive.
Corresponding author Robert J. Fortuna, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and member of the Center for Primary Care, says the findings of this new study give rise to the need for an immediate discussion to increase awareness and to provide consistent and unbiased treatments to people of lower socioeconomic status.
Data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey of people 18 and older from 2006 to 2009 was used in the study. More than 50,000 people were found to have visited over 1,400 emergency departments where opioids were prescribed. Researchers of the study first noted the socioeconomic status of these people by using their zip codes provided in the data.
Results from the analysis confirmed findings that black and Hispanic patients were less likely to get opioids compared to affluent patients for equivalent levels of pain. Similar trends were observed among people living in poorer neighborhoods. Patients with higher incomes received opioid medication 49 percent of the time compared to 39 percent for people with lower income.
Co-authors Michael Joynt, M.D., and Meghan Train, D.O., a resident in the Department of Medicine at URMC, said that this study doesn't quite determine why these disparities occur; further investigations should be conducted to find the cause.
