By the Numbers: 27 April 2020
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The number of "active duty and retired service members" who "had a filled opioid prescription in 2017," according to an article published last fall in the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch publication, Medical Surveillance Monthly Report -- Surveillance Snapshot: Trends in Opioid Prescription Fills Among U.S. Military Service Members During Fiscal Years 2007–2017.
Active duty and activated Guard/Reserve members who received an opioid prescription had a median of 2 fills per patient in 2017, while retirees had a median of 7 fills per patient. Moreover, a higher percentage of retirees’ opioid prescriptions were for high-dose prescriptions (as determined by MMEs) compared to active duty and activated Guard/Reserve, although rates were not adjusted for age.
1 in 4
The number of "active duty and retired service members" who "had a filled opioid prescription in 2017," according to an article published last fall in the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch publication, Medical Surveillance Monthly Report -- Surveillance Snapshot: Trends in Opioid Prescription Fills Among U.S. Military Service Members During Fiscal Years 2007–2017.
Active duty and activated Guard/Reserve members who received an opioid prescription had a median of 2 fills per patient in 2017, while retirees had a median of 7 fills per patient. Moreover, a higher percentage of retirees’ opioid prescriptions were for high-dose prescriptions (as determined by MMEs) compared to active duty and activated Guard/Reserve, although rates were not adjusted for age.