DPH updates prescription opioid monitoring program
The Delaware Division of Public Health, in collaboration with the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation, announced important updates to the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder section of the My Healthy Community Dashboard.
The updates are under the Prescription Monitoring Program tab and present trends in prescription drug dispensing in Delaware. The most notable update to the PMP page is a color-coded matrix to identify communities that may be at higher risk of opioid use disorder. The rate of prescriptions for high-dose (greater than or equal to 90 morphine milligram equivalents) and extended-release opioids are indicators of a high need for treatment.
The key indicators available on the site include: rescription opioids; high-dose opioids; long-acting/extended-release opioids; benzodiazepines filled in the same month as an opioid; cash-paid opioid prescriptions; opioid prescriptions paid by Medicaid; and opioid partial agonist prescriptions.
These indicators are shown by count and rate of prescriptions and include data on the number of people filling those prescriptions. Trend data for filled prescriptions indicate a steady decline in dispensed opioids and an increase in opiod use disorder treatment medications.
Although the rate of filled opioid prescriptions has declined 29% from 2006 to 2019 in the U.S., Delaware is higher than any other state, with a high-dosage opioid prescription fill rate at 7.8 prescriptions per 100 persons and long-acting/extended-release opioids at a rate of 10.1 prescriptions per 100 persons, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2019 Annual Surveillance Report on Drug-Related Outcomes. In 2020, Delaware ranked third highest among all states in drug overdose death rates with a rate of 47.3 per 100,000 population.
In November 2022, the CDC released its Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain. This updated report from the 2016 guidelines includes more information on acute pain management and alternatives to opioids for pain. DPH has continued to educate physicians and pharmacists on best practices for pain management. This includes offering one-on-one education and continuing education opportunities, and working with Delaware providers to create educational materials for providers and patients. DPH has compiled an inventory of Delaware-specific, evidence-based pain management resources for prescribers and dispensers at helpisherede.com/health-care-providers.
The My Healthy Community data platform presents indicators of health outcomes to the public and has implemented an innovative methodology to facilitate the presentation of health, demographic and social-determinant data in Delaware. The software provides an extensible framework for integrating data sets, generating analyses and visualizations, and managing both public and internal reports. The CDC’s Overdose Data to Action grant funded the updates to this portion of the dashboard and funds the Delaware PMP. DPH worked with the Division of Professional Regulation’s Office of Controlled Substances to make PMP data publicly available for these updates.
For more information and help, individuals or loved ones who are struggling with addiction in Delaware can call DHSS’ 24/7 Crisis Hotline to be connected to treatment and recovery options. In Sussex and Kent counties, call 1-800-345-6785. For free 24/7 counseling, coaching and support, as well as links to mental health, addiction and crisis services, call the Delaware Hope Line at 833-9-HOPEDE. To search online for treatment and recovery services in Delaware or nearby states, go to HelpIsHereDE.com.
