Study finds inequities in end-of-life opioid access

Substantial and persistent racial and ethnic inequities in opioid access among older patients dying of cancer continue to persist, according to a study. Funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers found that compared to white patients, Black and Hispanic patients were less likely to receive any opioids and long-acting opioids. In addition, they received lower daily doses and lower total doses. Black male patients had an increased likelihood of being subject to urine drug screening. The study consisted of 318,549 white, Black and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries over age 65 who died of cancer between 2007 and 2019. (AHRQ newsletter article, 8/3/23)