5 findings on older adults and opioid prescriptions from the National Poll on Healthy Aging

Practice Management

Nearly a third — 29 percent — of older adults filled an opioid prescription in the past two years, according to the National Poll on Healthy Aging.

1. Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation conducted a poll of 2,013 adults between the ages of 50 and 80.

2. The majority of older adults who received an opioid prescription said it was for arthritis pain, back pain, surgery and/or injury.

3. Only 6 percent of respondents reported taking an opioid pain medication more often or at higher doses than prescribed.

4. Almost half of the respondents who received an opioid prescription — 49 percent —said they had pain medication left over, of which 86 percent kept in case their pain recurred.

5. While 36 percent of respondents without an opioid prescription reported they would dispose of leftover opioids at an approved location, only 13 percent of respondents who had leftover prescription opioids actually did so.

Here is a full report of the poll's methodology and findings.

 

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