Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Prescribing Opioids To High-Risk Patients, PrEP Use Among Black Individuals
JAMA Psychiatry: Physician Prescribing Of Opioids To Patients At Increased Risk Of Overdose From Benzodiazepine Use In The United States
In 2010, new opioid prescriptions for US adults stopped increasing and began to decrease among higher-risk patients who used benzodiazepines. These patterns suggest that the recent increase in opioid-related deaths may be associated with factors other than physicians writing new opioid prescriptions. Nevertheless, prescribing among higher-risk patients still occurred at rates higher than rates in the general population, representing an important opportunity to improve quality of care for patients experiencing pain. (Ladapo, Larochelle, Chen et. al., 4/12)
New England Journal of Medicine: Relationship Between Clinic And Ambulatory Blood-Pressure Measurements And Mortality
This study examined the associations of blood pressure measured in the clinic (clinic blood pressure) and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a large cohort of patients in primary care. ...Ambulatory blood-pressure measurements were a stronger predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality than clinic blood-pressure measurements. (Banegas, Ruilope, de la Sierra et. al., 4/19)
RAND: Facilitators And Barriers To Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Use Among Black Individuals In The United States: Results From The National Survey On HIV In The Black Community
This study explores willingness to use PrEP among Black individuals in the US. From February to April 2016, an online survey was administered to a nationally representative sample of Black individuals. ...Among a nationally representative sample of Black individuals, few high risk individuals were willing to use PrEP. (Ojikutu, Bogart, Higgins-Biddle et. al., 4/17)
Annals Of Internal Medicine: National Drug Overdose Epidemic And Deceased-Donor Transplantation
In the United States, transplantation with ODD organs has increased dramatically, with noninferior outcomes in transplant recipients. Concerns about IRD behaviors and hepatitis C among donors lead to excess discard that should be minimized given the current organ shortage. (Durand, Bowring, Thomas et. al., 4/17)
