JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The misuse of opioids is a significant global issue. In South Korea, the Narcotics Information Management System (NIMS) was introduced to manage all aspects of opioid use including their manufacturing, distribution, sales, and disposal.

Objective:

We aimed to assess the impact of the NIMS on opioid prescription patterns.

Methods:

An interrupted time series analysis was performed using health insurance claim data collected between 2016 and 2020. After excluding all patients with cancer and those under 20 years of age, any patients who received outpatient opioid prescriptions were included in the study. The following indicators were calculated and analyzed monthly to evaluate opioid prescription practices: 1) proportion of patients prescribed high-dose opioid treatment, 2) proportion of patients receiving opioid prescriptions from multiple providers, 3) overlap rate of opioid prescriptions per patient, and 4) rate of naloxone utilization among opioid users.

Results:

During the study period, there was a general trend of increasing opioid use, and the NIMS did not demonstrate any significant effect on any of the four indicators studied (p > 0.05). However, there was a temporary decrease in the rate of naloxone utilization after the implementation of the NIMS. While this decrease may suggest a potential impact of the NIMS, it is crucial to note that it could also be due to the simultaneous rise in the number of opioid users during that same period.

Conclusions:

Our study findings suggest that implementation of the NIMS did not have a significant effect on opioid misuse in South Korea. To effectively regulate opioid use, a comprehensive approach that incorporates the NIMS, healthcare provider education programs, and effective management of patients who may be misusing opioids is needed. This approach will ensure that opioids are used safely and appropriately by patients who require them.