Safety of fentanyl initiation at the start and end of the study period, by sex and age
| Characteristic | % (no.) of patients with unsafe fentanyl initiation* | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 n = 866 | 2012 n = 574 | Overall n = 11 063 | |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 87.4 (501/573) | 53.1 (178/335) | 76.3 (5 253/6 884) |
| Male | 86.0 (252/293) | 45.6 (109/239) | 70.4 (2 943/4 179) |
| Age group, yr | |||
| ≤ 64 | 79.0 (233/295) | 45.9 (119/259) | 66.1 (3 100/4 692) |
| 65–74 | 86.3 (126/146) | 41.7 (48/115) | 72.7 (1 377/1 894) |
| 75–84 | 89.4 (210/235) | 52.3 (58/111) | 81.6 (2 039/2 500) |
| ≥ 85 | 96.8 (184/190) | 69.7 (62/89) | 85.0 (1 680/1 977) |
| All | 87.0 (753/866) | 50.0 (287/574) | 74.1 (8 196/11 063) |
↵* Unsafe = fentanyl patch newly prescribed to patient without adequate prior exposure to opioids.