New EPiC Opioids dashboard launched

While opioids remain the mainstay of systemic analgesia for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain, they carry a significant risk of harm with longer periods of use.1 With fatal drug overdose numbers increasing by 54 per cent between 2017-21 in Aotearoa, and Māori disproportionately impacted,2 it remains critically important that these medicines are supplied and used appropriately.

This EPiC dashboard shows opioid medicine dispensing in people aged 18 years and older in Aotearoa and can be viewed at a national level, and at an individual prescriber and practice level.

National EPiC data reveal the following key findings about opioid dispensing:

• The most dispensed opioids in Aotearoa in the last 12 months were tramadol (246,988 people were dispensed tramadol) and codeine-containing preparations – codeine, paracetamol + codeine, and dihydrocodeine (476,356 people).
• Strong opioids—morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, methadone and pethidine—were dispensed much less frequently than tramadol and codeine.
• People of European ethnicity and those living in more socioeconomically deprived areas were more likely to have been dispensed any opioid, compared with other ethnicities or people living in less socioeconomically deprived areas.
• The dispensing of both morphine and oxycodone increased slightly over the last four years. Morphine was dispensed to 1.5% of the enrolled population in 2019/20 and increased to 1.6% of the population in 2022/23, and oxycodone increased from 0.7% of the enrolled population in 2019/20 to 0.8% in 2022/23.

The risk of long-term opioid use increases with each additional day dispensed. The EPiC dashboard shows:

• Approximately 1 in 3 patients (33.9%) who were dispensed strong opioids in the last 12 months were dispensed six weeks’ supply or longer.
• People of Māori or European/Other ethnicity were more likely to have opioids dispensed for six weeks or longer compared to Asian or Pacific peoples.
• People aged 40 and older were more likely than those aged 18 to 39 years to be dispensed strong opioids for six weeks or longer.

When used together, sedative-hypnotics and strong opioids increase the risk of adverse effects such as sedation and respiratory depression. The EPiC dashboard reveals that nearly a third (31.3%) of people were dispensed sedative-hypnotics within 30 days of being dispensed strong opioids.

How do your opioid prescribing data look?
Have a look at epic.akohiringa.co.nz/opioids. Everyone can view national data. If you are associated with a medical practice and want to view opioid data for that practice, request a free practice account here.