Practices, patients and opioid prescribing over 2005–2012
| Year | Number of practices | Number of patients | Number of patients prescribed any opioid at least once (%) | Number of patients prescribed a weaker opioid at least once (%) | Number of patients prescribed a stronger opioid at least once (%) | Opioid prescriptions per patient prescribed opioids | Weaker opioid prescriptions per patient prescribed opioids | Stronger opioid prescriptions per patient prescribed opioids | Percentage of stronger opioids prescribed to patients prescribed opioids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2006 | 43 | 398 007 | 26 249 (6.60) | 25 998 (6.53) | 512 (0.13) | 4.31 | 4.18 | 8.86 | 4.0 |
| 2006–2007 | 64 | 704 205 | 41 784 (5.93) | 41 143 (5.84) | 1284 (0.18) | 4.56 | 4.36 | 8.88 | 6.0 |
| 2007–2008 | 76 | 723 810 | 52 826 (7.30) | 51 753 (7.15) | 2119 (0.29) | 4.63 | 4.37 | 8.59 | 7.5 |
| 2008–2009 | 91 | 741 960 | 71 394 (9.62) | 69 888 (9.42) | 3288 (0.44) | 4.69 | 4.36 | 9.22 | 9.1 |
| 2009–2010 | 100 | 757 796 | 85 022 (11.22) | 83 108 (10.97) | 4364 (0.58) | 4.74 | 4.36 | 9.40 | 10.2 |
| 2010–2011 | 107 | 773 170 | 94 706 (12.25) | 92 195 (11.92) | 5668 (0.73) | 4.91 | 4.46 | 9.90 | 12.1 |
| 2011–2012 | 111 | 781 528 | 99 847 (12.78) | 96 959 (12.41) | 6605 (0.85) | 5.02 | 4.39 | 10.39 | 13.7 |