TY - JOUR
T1 - Quantifying the Adequacy of Opioid Analgesic Consumption Globally
T2 - An Updated Method and Early Findings
AU - Scholten, Willem K
AU - Christensen, Ann-Eva
AU - Olesen, Anne Estrup
AU - Drewes, Asbjørn Mohr
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - Opioid analgesics are the mainstay for treatment of moderate and severe pain but, in many countries, the consumption of these medicines is inadequate. Over time, various groups have published opioid analgesic metrics, including authors from the World Health Organization. They linked consumption to a level considered adequate based on the actual consumption in developed countries. In this study, we present our current results on the adequacy of opioid analgesic consumption. We included statistics for 18 controlled opioid medicines that are primarily used as analgesics, and we developed the Adequacy of Opioid Consumption (AOC) Index. The average of the 20 most developed countries for 2015 is set as equal to an AOC Index of 100. An AOC Index of 100 or higher is consideredadequate consumption. The average opioid analgesic consumption of the top-20 countries of the Human Development Index increased from 84 morphine milligram equivalents per capita (2000) to 256 morphine milligram equivalents per capita (2015). The extremes we found for 2015 were Germany (AOC Index: 304) and Nigeria (AOC Index: 0.0069). These extremes differ by 44000 times. Adequacy of opioid analgesic consumption continues to be problematic around the world.
AB - Opioid analgesics are the mainstay for treatment of moderate and severe pain but, in many countries, the consumption of these medicines is inadequate. Over time, various groups have published opioid analgesic metrics, including authors from the World Health Organization. They linked consumption to a level considered adequate based on the actual consumption in developed countries. In this study, we present our current results on the adequacy of opioid analgesic consumption. We included statistics for 18 controlled opioid medicines that are primarily used as analgesics, and we developed the Adequacy of Opioid Consumption (AOC) Index. The average of the 20 most developed countries for 2015 is set as equal to an AOC Index of 100. An AOC Index of 100 or higher is consideredadequate consumption. The average opioid analgesic consumption of the top-20 countries of the Human Development Index increased from 84 morphine milligram equivalents per capita (2000) to 256 morphine milligram equivalents per capita (2015). The extremes we found for 2015 were Germany (AOC Index: 304) and Nigeria (AOC Index: 0.0069). These extremes differ by 44000 times. Adequacy of opioid analgesic consumption continues to be problematic around the world.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85058892472&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304753
DO - 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304753
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 30496006
SN - 0090-0036
VL - 109
SP - 52
EP - 57
JO - American Journal of Public Health
JF - American Journal of Public Health
IS - 1
ER -