Physicians' Self-Reported Knowledge and Behaviors Related to Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain and Diagnosing Opioid Use Disorder, DocStyles, 2020.

Introduction: In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain (2016 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline) to improve opioid prescribing while minimizing associated risks. This analysis sought to understand guideline-concordant knowledge and self-reported practices among primary care physicians.

Methods: Data from Spring DocStyles 2020, a cross-sectional, web-based survey of practicing U.

Identification of Myths and Misinformation About Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder on Social Media: Infodemiology Study.

Background: Health misinformation and myths about treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) are present on social media and contribute to challenges in preventing drug overdose deaths. However, no systematic, quantitative methodology exists to identify what types of misinformation are being shared and discussed.

Objective: We developed a multistage analytic pipeline to assess social media posts from Twitter (subsequently rebranded as X), YouTube, Reddit, and Drugs-Forum for the presence of health misinformation about treatment for OUD.

Severity Outcomes among Adult Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency and COVID-19 Seen in Emergency Departments, United States, April 2020-August 2021.

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIs) are a group of diseases that increase susceptibility to infectious diseases. Few studies have examined the relationship between PI and COVID-19 outcomes. In this study, we used Premier Healthcare Database, which contains information on inpatient discharges, to analyze COVID-19 outcomes among 853 adult PI and 1,197,430 non-PI patients who visited the emergency department.

Hospitalization Associated With Comorbid Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders Among Adults With COVID-19 Treated in US Emergency Departments From April 2020 to August 2021.

Importance: During the COVID-19 pandemic, US emergency department (ED) visits for psychiatric disorders (PDs) and drug overdoses increased. Psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders (SUDs) independently increased the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization, yet their effect together is unknown.

Objective: To assess how comorbid PD and SUD are associated with the probability of hospitalization among ED patients with COVID-19.

Risk factors for COVID-19 among persons with substance use disorder (PWSUD) with hospital visits - United States, April 2020-December 2020.

Introduction: Sociodemographic factors and chronic conditions associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among persons with substance use disorder (PWSUD) are not well understood. We identified risk factors associated with COVID-19 among PWSUD with hospital visits.

Methods: Using the Premier Healthcare Database Special COVID-19 Release, we conducted a case-control study using ICD-10-CM codes to identify PWSUD aged 12 years and older with hospital visits for any reason during April-December 2020.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 Among US People Experiencing Incarceration or Homelessness.

Importance: People experiencing incarceration (PEI) and people experiencing homelessness (PEH) have an increased risk of COVID-19 exposure from congregate living, but data on their hospitalization course compared with that of the general population are limited.

Objective: To compare COVID-19 hospitalizations for PEI and PEH with hospitalizations among the general population.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional analysis used data from the Premier Healthcare Database on 3415 PEI and 9434 PEH who were evaluated in the emergency department or were hospitalized in more than 800 US hospitals for COVID-19 from April 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

Underlying Medical Conditions and Severe Illness Among 540,667 Adults Hospitalized With COVID-19, March 2020-March 2021.

Introduction: Severe COVID-19 illness in adults has been linked to underlying medical conditions. This study identified frequent underlying conditions and their attributable risk of severe COVID-19 illness.

Methods: We used data from more than 800 US hospitals in the Premier Healthcare Database Special COVID-19 Release (PHD-SR) to describe hospitalized patients aged 18 years or older with COVID-19 from March 2020 through March 2021.

Underlying Medical Conditions Associated With Severe COVID-19 Illness Among Children.

Importance: Information on underlying conditions and severe COVID-19 illness among children is limited.

Objective: To examine the risk of severe COVID-19 illness among children associated with underlying medical conditions and medical complexity.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study included patients aged 18 years and younger with International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification code U07.

Risk of Clinical Severity by Age and Race/Ethnicity Among Adults Hospitalized for COVID-19-United States, March-September 2020.

Background: Older adults and people from certain racial and ethnic groups are disproportionately represented in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations and deaths.

Methods: Using data from the Premier Healthcare Database on 181813 hospitalized adults diagnosed with COVID-19 during March-September 2020, we applied multivariable log-binomial regression to assess the associations between age and race/ethnicity and COVID-19 clinical severity (intensive care unit [ICU] admission, invasive mechanical ventilation [IMV], and death) and to determine whether the impact of age on clinical severity differs by race/ethnicity.

Results: Overall, 84497 (47%) patients were admitted to the ICU, 29078 (16%) received IMV, and 27864 (15%) died in the hospital.

Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine Prescribing Patterns by Provider Specialty Following Initial Reports of Potential Benefit for COVID-19 Treatment - United States, January-June 2020.

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, primarily used to treat autoimmune diseases and to prevent and treat malaria, received national attention in early March 2020, as potential treatment and prophylaxis for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (1). On March 20, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate in the Strategic National Stockpile to be used by licensed health care providers to treat patients hospitalized with COVID-19 when the providers determine the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk to the patient.* Following reports of cardiac and other adverse events in patients receiving hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 (2), on April 24, 2020, FDA issued a caution against its use and on June 15, rescinded its EUA for hydroxychloroquine from the Strategic National Stockpile.

Variation in Adult Outpatient Opioid Prescription Dispensing by Age and Sex - United States, 2008-2018.

In 2017, prescription opioids were involved in 36% of opioid-involved overdose deaths in the United States (1). Prescription opioids can be obtained by prescription or through diversion (the channeling of regulated drugs from legal to illegal sources) (2). Among new heroin users, 66%-83% reported that their opioid use began with the misuse of a prescription opioid (3).

Opioid-Related Diagnoses and Concurrent Claims for HIV, HBV, or HCV among Medicare Beneficiaries, United States, 2015.

Unsterile opioid injection increases risk for infection transmission, including HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), or hepatitis C virus (HCV). We assess prevalence of and risk factors associated with opioid overdose and infections with HIV, HBV, or HCV among Medicare beneficiaries with opioid-related fee-for-service claims during 2015. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to estimate claims for opioid use and overdose and HIV, HBV, or HCV infections, using data from US Medicare fee-for-service claims.

Trends and Patterns of Geographic Variation in Opioid Prescribing Practices by State, United States, 2006-2017.

Importance: Risk of opioid use disorder, overdose, and death from prescription opioids increases as dosage, duration, and use of extended-release and long-acting formulations increase. States are well suited to respond to the opioid crisis through legislation, regulations, enforcement, surveillance, and other interventions.

Objective: To estimate temporal trends and geographic variations in 6 key opioid prescribing measures in 50 US states and the District of Columbia.

County-Level Opioid Prescribing in the United States, 2015 and 2017.

This study examines trends in opioid prescribing at the US national and county levels during 2015 and 2017.