25gaa03 10.3205/25gaa03 urn:nbn:de:0183-25gaa036 Meeting Abstract Unterschiede in der Verschreibung von Opioiden auf Kreisebene in Deutschland (2023): Ergebnisse einer bevölkerungsbezogenen Studie Enners Enners Salka S

Wissenschaftliches Institut der AOK, Berlin, GermanyAOK Research Institute, Berlin, Germany

salka.enners@wido.bv.aok.de author Schlotmann Schlotmann Andreas A Dr.

AOK Research Institute, Berlin, Germany

andreas.schlotmann@wido.bv.aok.de author Schüssel Schüssel Katrin K Dr.

AOK Research Institute, Berlin, Germany

katrin.schuessel@wido.bv.aok.de author Brueckner Brueckner Gabriela G

AOK Research Institute, Berlin, Germany

gabriela.brueckner@wido.bv.aok.de author Jobski Jobski Kathrin K Dr.

Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

kathrin.jobski@uni-oldenburg.de author Langner Langner Irene I

AOK Research Institute, Berlin, Germany

irene.langner@wido.bv.aok.de author Thiede Thiede Michael M Prof. Dr.

AOK Research Institute, Berlin, Germany

michael.thiede@wido.bv.aok.de author Scholle Scholle Oliver O Dr.

Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology, Bremen, Germany

scholle@leibniz-bips.de author German Medical Science GMS Publishing House

Düsseldorf

610 20251111 engl This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). M0632 03 Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelanwendungsforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie e.V. (GAA) 32. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelanwendungsforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie Abstracts Jena 20251113 20251114 25gaa03 TextBackground: Assessing regional variations in opioid prescribing is essential for understanding prescribing practices. Recent data on the extent of regional differences in opioid prescribing are lacking, particularly for non-cancer pain, where opioid use remains controversial. This study aimed to describe regional variations in the prescribing frequency of opioids for non-cancer pain in Germany.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized claims data from Germany’s largest statutory health insurance (~27 million persons). We included persons without a cancer diagnosis. Users were identified as persons with at least one opioid outpatient prescription (ATC code N02A). For each district, we calculated the age- and sex-standardized prescription prevalence and incidence for the year 2023, both for all opioids and for high potency opioids.Results: The study sample included at least 9,500 persons in each of the 400 districts. Across all districts, the prescription prevalence of opioids ranged from 35.32 to 69.38/1,000, with the 5th and 95th percentiles at 40.53 and 63.31/1,000, respectively (median: 51.68/1,000). For high-potency opioids, the prevalence ranged from 6.85 to 28.60/1,000, with the 5th and 95th percentiles at 9.64 and 21.88/1,000, respectively (median: 15.05/1,000). The opioid prescription incidence showed similar differences across the districts. For example, for high-potency opioids, it ranged from 3.10 to 12.53/1,000 (median: 6.19/1,000).Conclusion: The prescribing frequency of opioids for non-cancer pain varied substantially across German districts, particularly for high-potency opioids. As the extent of these variations is unlikely to be driven by differences in morbidity, our results suggest potential for improving rational prescribing of opioids in certain regions. 0 0 0 0