TY - JOUR
T1 - Feasibility and validity of using healthcare databases to conduct cross-national comparative studies of opioid use, its determinants and consequences
AU - Chen, Teng-Chou
AU - Wettermark, Björn
AU - Steinke, Douglas
AU - Caughey, Gillian E.
AU - Tadrous, Mina
AU - Wirtz, Veronika J.
AU - Chen, Li-Chia
AU - the Global Opioid Utilization Research Collaborative Group
AU - Ellett, Lisa Kalisch
AU - Roughead, Libby
AU - Pont, Lisa
AU - Alessi-Severini, Silvia
AU - Gomes, Tara
AU - Paterson, Michael
AU - Sketris, Ingrid
AU - Tadrous, Mina
AU - Gvozdanovic, Katarina
AU - Linask, Elviira
AU - Volmer, Daisy
AU - Hamina, Aleksi
AU - Taipale, Heidi
AU - Moriarty, Frank
AU - Lavy, Tal
AU - Marom, Eli
AU - Ponizovsky, Alexander M.
AU - Akazawa, Manabu
AU - Poplavska, Elita
AU - Gulbinovič, Jolanta
AU - Zin, Che Suraya
AU - Taxis, Katja
AU - Shin, Ju-Young
AU - Yoon, Dongwon
AU - Cazacu, Irina
AU - Bennie, Marion
AU - Kurdi, Amanj
AU - Mctaggart, Stuart
AU - Hoffmann, Mikael
AU - Hsu, Jason
AU - Yunusa, Ismaeel
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - Purpose: A cross-national comparative (CNC) study about opioid utilization would allow the identification of strategies to improve pain management and mitigate risk. However, little is known about the accessibility and validity of information in healthcare databases internationally. This study aimed to identify the feasibility of using healthcare databases to conduct a CNC study of opioid utilization and its associated consequences. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was launched in March 2018, including experts interested in CNC studies comparing opioid utilization by purposeful sampling. An electronic survey was used to collect database characteristics, medicine information, and linkage information of each aggregate-level dataset (AD) and individual patient-level dataset (IPD). Results: Overall, participants from 21 geographical regions reported 18 ADs and 19 IPDs. Information on dispensed medications is available from 17 ADs and 17 IPDs. Of the 16 ADs that include primary care settings, only 9 ADs can obtain information from secondary care settings. Fourteen IPDs included patients' characteristics or could be retrieved from linkage databases. Although most ADs are publicly accessible (n = 13), only five IPDs can be accessed without extra cost. Conclusion: Most ADs could be used to report opioid utilization in a primary care setting. IPDs with linkage databases should be applied to identify potential determinants, clinical outcomes, and policy impact. Data access restrictions and governance policies across jurisdictions can be challenging for timely analysis and require further collaboration.
AB - Purpose: A cross-national comparative (CNC) study about opioid utilization would allow the identification of strategies to improve pain management and mitigate risk. However, little is known about the accessibility and validity of information in healthcare databases internationally. This study aimed to identify the feasibility of using healthcare databases to conduct a CNC study of opioid utilization and its associated consequences. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was launched in March 2018, including experts interested in CNC studies comparing opioid utilization by purposeful sampling. An electronic survey was used to collect database characteristics, medicine information, and linkage information of each aggregate-level dataset (AD) and individual patient-level dataset (IPD). Results: Overall, participants from 21 geographical regions reported 18 ADs and 19 IPDs. Information on dispensed medications is available from 17 ADs and 17 IPDs. Of the 16 ADs that include primary care settings, only 9 ADs can obtain information from secondary care settings. Fourteen IPDs included patients' characteristics or could be retrieved from linkage databases. Although most ADs are publicly accessible (n = 13), only five IPDs can be accessed without extra cost. Conclusion: Most ADs could be used to report opioid utilization in a primary care setting. IPDs with linkage databases should be applied to identify potential determinants, clinical outcomes, and policy impact. Data access restrictions and governance policies across jurisdictions can be challenging for timely analysis and require further collaboration.
KW - cross-national comparison
KW - drug utilization research
KW - global opioid utilization research
KW - healthcare databases
KW - prescribed opioids
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85158884954&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/pds.5618
DO - 10.1002/pds.5618
M3 - Article
C2 - 36942801
AN - SCOPUS:85158884954
SN - 1053-8569
VL - 32
SP - 1021
EP - 1031
JO - Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
JF - Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
IS - 9
ER -