Table 4.
Clinical characteristics by group
| Escalating (n = 23) | Stable (n = 223) | P-valuea | Adjusted P-valueb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain severity, c mean (sd) | 4.3 (1.7) | 3.9 (2.3) | ||
| Any benzodiazepine prescription, n (%) | 12 (52%) | 81 (36%) | 0.18 | 0.48 |
| Any outpatient urine drug screen, n (%) | 1 (4%) | 4 (2%) | ||
| Diagnoses, n (%) | ||||
| Hypertension | 5 (22%) | 53 (24%) | ||
| Diabetes mellitus | 4 (17%) | 40 (18%) | ||
| COPD/asthma | 2 (9%) | 20 (9%) | ||
| Back pain (general) | 14 (61%) | 100 (45%) | ||
| Low back pain | 13 (57%) | 88 (39%) | ||
| Osteoarthritis | 4 (17%) | 35 (16%) | ||
| Abdominal pain | 3 (13%) | 22 (10%) | ||
| Neck Pain | 5 (22%) | 33 (15%) | ||
| Headache | 1 (4%) | 18 (8%) | ||
| Any mental health diagnosis | 9 (39%) | 50 (22%) | 0.12 | 0.48 |
| Mood disorder | 5 (22%) | 24 (11%) | ||
| Anxiety disorder | 4 (17%) | 22 (10%) | ||
| Substance use disorder | 4 (17%) | 3 (1%) | 0.002 | 0.01 |
a
Groups were compared using Fisher’s exact test.
b
Adjusted for multiple comparisons using Holm’s step-down procedure
c
Measured on a 0–10 numeric rating scale (8 observations missing in the stable group)