Study Adds Clarity into Risk of Opioid OD

A peer-reviewed study has offered a new metric for measuring risk of opioid overdose, but the measurement’s novelty may make it difficult to use. The study, which two University of Texas researchers published in the April edition of the American Pain Society’s Journal of Pain, examined more than 200,000 privately insured patients with noncancer pain who were prescribed opioid analgesics between January 2009 and July 2012. The researches sought to identify whether any further detail could be provided into the risk of overdose among patients beyond the probabilities already...