Prescribing practices and use of opioid analgesics: a sociological analysis

The study on the use of analgesic opioid medicines (EMOA) by the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) examines their prescription in general practice and the experiences of who consider themselves to be having difficulty with them in the treatment of chronic pain unrelated to cancer in France.

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Based mainly on in-depth interviews with 23 general practitioners (GPs) and 25 patients, it analyses, on the one hand, prescribing practices, by examining the decision to prescribe (and deprescribe) opioid analgesics and, on the other hand, patients’ medication pathways, by examining the place of these drugs in their life and health trajectories. 

This research analyses the difficulties encountered by doctors in the prescribing process (particularly in stopping or continuing prescriptions when they are not responsible for initiating them), and those associated with prolonged, regular, or recurrent use by patients.

Publication type
Reports
Publication date
Language
Français
Author(s)
DUPRAT
Laura
Edited by
OFDT
Number of pages
104
ISBN
979-10-92728-74-3
Products & addictions
Heroin and opioids
Themes
Treatment
Users
Specific population(s)
Adults
Territories
France
Dispositif d'enquête et d'observation
Sociological and qualitative surveys

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