Short-Term Opioid Treatment of Acute Locomotor Pain in Older Adults: Comparison of Effectiveness and Safety between Tramadol and Oxycodone: A Randomized Trial.

Introduction: We conducted a head-to-head comparison of step 2 (tramadol) and step 3 (oxycodone) of the WHO pain ladder in older adults with moderate to severe acute locomotor pain.

Materials And Methods: Multi-center prospective randomized study. Patients were 70 years or older, admitted to the acute geriatric ward of three hospitals, suffering from acute moderate to severe locomotor pain, and opioid-naive.

Opioids in geriatric units in 14 Belgian hospitals: prevalence, dosage and associated factors.

Adverse effects of opioids are common among older individuals, and undertreatment as well as overuse can be an issue. Epidemiological data on opioid use in older individuals are available, but scarce in hospitalized patients. The aim of this study is to examine the one-day prevalence of opioid use among older inpatients and identify the factors associated with both opioid use and dosage.