Neighborhood disadvantage and pediatric inpatient opioid prescription patterns.

Background: To explore the role of children's residential environment on opioid prescribing patterns in a predominantly Latinx sample.

Methods: We connected geocoded data from electronic medical records in a diverse sample of pediatric patients to neighborhood environments constructed using latent profile modeling techniques. We then estimated a series of multilevel models to determine whether opioid prescribing patterns vary by residential context.

Results: A stepwise pattern exists between neighborhood disadvantage and pediatric opioid prescription patterns, such that higher levels of disadvantage associate with a greater likelihood of opioid prescription, independent of the patient's individual profile.

Conclusion: In a largely Latinx sample of children, the neighborhood in which a child lives influences whether or not they will receive opioids. Considering the differences in patient residential environment may reduce variation in opioid dispensing rates among pediatric patients.