Trends in Risk-Adjusted Initiation and Reduction of Opioid Use among Veterans With Dementia in US Department of Veterans Affairs Community Living Centers

Proper initiation and reduction of opioids is important in providing effective and safe pain relief to Veterans with dementia, including in Community Living Centers (CLCs). We examined the trends in aggregated monthly risk-adjusted opioid administration days and dosage over 3 opioid safety regulatory periods: pre–Opioid Safety Initiative period (October 1, 2012–June 30, 2013; period 1), pre–CDC Clinical Practice Guideline period (January 1, 2014–November 30, 2015, period 2) and post–Veterans Affairs Clinical Practice Guideline period (March 1, 2017–September 30, 2018; period 3).