Continuity of opioid prescribing among older adults on long-term opioids.

Objectives: To describe the continuity of opioid prescribing and prescriber characteristics among older adults with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) who are on long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) and to evaluate the association of continuity of opioid prescribing and prescriber characteristics with the risk of opioid-related adverse events.

Study Design: Nested case-control design.

Methods: This study employed a nested case-control design using a 5% random sample of the national Medicare administrative claims data for 2012-2016.