Original research
by
Carrilero, Neus, Toni Mora & Anna García-Altés
Release Date
2021
Geography
Spain
Language of Resource
English
Full Text Available
Yes
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Yes
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Objective
In 2012, Spain adopted new legislation on opioid prescription (the ROE law), which meant that practitioners no longer needed to obtain extra authorisation in order to prescribe strong opioids. The objective of the paper is to assess the impact of this law on opioid use and abuse in Catalonia, Spain.
Findings/Key points
The abolition of the duplicate prescription programme for strong opioids led to a reduction in the average monthly use of strong opioids, but an increase in abuse.
Design/methods
The data were obtained from administrative and dispensing drug databases in a population of 7.5 million inhabitants.
Keywords
Evidence base
Policy/Regulatory
Safer supply
About prescribers
Outcomes
