[Opioid use and misuse among patients at the emergency department].

Objective: To determine the prevalence of use and misuse of prescription opioids among patients at Dutch emergency departments (EDs).

Design: Cross-sectional multicenter study.

Method: This study was performed at three EDs in the Nijmegen-Arnhem region. ED-patients of 18 years and older were screened for current opioid use. The Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM) questionnaire was used to assess opioid misuse. The presence of opioid use disorder was determined using DSM-5 based interviews.

Results: A total of 997 patients was screened for opioid use. The prevalence of opioid use was 15.0% (95%CI 12.9 -17.4). 22.6% (95%CI 14.6-32.4) scored positive for opioid misuse, 9.8% (95%CI 4.5-17.8) fulfilled DSM-5 criteria for opioid use disorder.

Conclusion: Opioid use and misuse are relatively common among patients in Dutch EDs.