These NYC researchers explored this question. Why? “Given evidence that many patients do not use the full amount of opioid analgesic tablets dispensed and retain the remainder, reducing the quantity prescribed may better approximate the amount used.” Changing the default dispense quantity to 10 tablets “led to a significant reduction in the quantity of opioids prescribed initially, without significantly increasing health services use.”
What is your organization doing to increase the likelihood that patients get the number of opioid tablets that they need?
