Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
PLoS One. 2021 May 12;16(5):e0250972. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250972. eCollection 2021.
Opioid prescribing data can guide regulation policy by informing trends and types of opioids prescribed and geographic variations. In South Korea, the nationwide data on prescribing opioids remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate an 11-year trend of opioid prescription in South Korea, both nationally and by administrative districts. A population-based cross-sectional analysis of opioid prescriptions dispensed nationwide in outpatient departments between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2019, was conducted for this study. Data were obtained from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service. The types of opioids prescribed were categorized into total, strong, and extended-release and long-acting formulation. Trends in the prescription rate per 1000 persons were examined over time nationally and across administrative districts. There are significant increasing trends for total, strong, and extended-release and long-acting opioid prescriptions (rate per 1000 persons in 2009 and 2019: total opioids, 347.5 and 531.3; strong opioids, 0.6 and 15.2; extended-release and long-acting opioids, 6.8 and 82.0). The pattern of dispensing opioids increased from 2009 to 2013 and slowed down from 2013 to 2019. The rate of opioid prescriptions issued between administrative districts nearly doubled for all types of opioids. Prescription opioid dispensing increased substantially over the study period. The increase in the prescription of total opioids was largely attributed to an increase in the prescription of weak opioids. However, the increase in prescriptions of extended-release and long-acting opioids could be a future concern. These data may inform government organizations to create regulations and interventions for prescribing opioids.
阿片类药物处方数据可以通过告知处方阿片类药物的趋势和类型以及地域差异来指导监管政策。在韩国，全国范围内的阿片类药物处方数据仍不清楚。我们旨在评估韩国全国范围内阿片类药物处方的 11 年趋势，包括全国和行政区。本研究进行了一项基于人群的横断面分析，评估了 2009 年 1 月 1 日至 2019 年 12 月 31 日期间全国范围内门诊部门开出的阿片类药物处方。数据来自健康保险审查与评估服务。处方的阿片类药物类型分为总类、强类和缓释长效制剂。考察了全国和行政区范围内的处方率随时间的变化趋势。总类、强类和缓释长效阿片类药物的处方率呈显著上升趋势（2009 年和 2019 年每千人的处方率：总类阿片类药物 347.5 和 531.3；强类阿片类药物 0.6 和 15.2；缓释长效阿片类药物 6.8 和 82.0）。从 2009 年到 2013 年，分发阿片类药物的模式增加，从 2013 年到 2019 年放缓。所有类型阿片类药物的行政区之间的处方率几乎翻了一番。在研究期间，阿片类药物的处方量大幅增加。总类阿片类药物处方的增加主要归因于弱阿片类药物处方的增加。然而，缓释长效阿片类药物处方的增加可能是未来的一个问题。这些数据可以为政府组织制定阿片类药物处方管理规定和干预措施提供信息。
