Study Findings from Harvard Medical School Broaden Understanding of Opioids (Opioid Use Among Social Security Disability Insurance Applicants, 2013-2018): Opioids

2024 NOV 08 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- A new study on Opioids is now available. According to news reporting originating from Boston, Massachusetts, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Opioid use is common among Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries who account for a disproportionate share of opioid-related hospitalizations and mortality. However, little is known about the prevalence of opioid use prior to SSDI enrollment.”

Financial supporters for this research include Owen and Linda Robinson, National Institute on Aging, U.S. Social Security Administration, U.S. Social Security Administration.

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Harvard Medical School, “Understanding when opioid use is established and how it correlates with individual characteristics and community prescribing practices would inform policy approaches to reducing opioid-related harms among SSDI beneficiaries. We estimated the prevalence of opioid use among SSDI applicants by applying a natural language processing algorithm to SSDI application data. We find the prevalence of opioid use among SSDI applicants declined from 33% in 2013 to 24% in 2018. In contrast, the share of applicants with musculoskeletal impairments, which are commonly associated with pain, was unchanged. The share of applications reporting opioid use declined across both sexes, all age groups and education levels, and all regions. There was substantial variation, however, in the magnitude of decline by geography, with the smallest declines in parts of the Midwest and Southeastern United States. SSDI application rates and applications reporting opioid use were more likely to come from communities with higher opioid prescribing rates.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Our estimates suggest most SSDI beneficiaries began opioid use prior to entering the SSDI program.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Opioid Use Among Social Security Disability Insurance Applicants, 2013-2018. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 2024;35(1):43-53. Journal of Disability Policy Studies can be contacted at: Sage Publications Inc, 2455 Teller Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA. (Sage Publications - http://www.sagepub.com/; Journal of Disability Policy Studies - dps.sagepub.com)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Nicole Maestas, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Tisamarie B. B. Sherry and Alexander Strand.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1177/10442073221150613. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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