Publication Date
5-2020
Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)
3-4-2020
Type of Culminating Activity
Thesis
Degree Title
Master of Health Science in Health Promotion
Department
Community and Environmental Health
Supervisory Committee Chair
Megan L. Smith, Ph.D.
Supervisory Committee Member
Sarah E. Toevs, Ph.D.
Supervisory Committee Member
Leslie Tengelsen, Ph.D., DVM
Abstract
Opioid addiction and misuse have become widespread in the U.S. over the past decade, causing a rise in opioid related mortality. High opioid prescribing rates have led public health agencies to examine provider prescribing practices. Research has identified provider characteristics such as gender, age, and years of experience are predictive of opioid prescribing in human medical providers. Veterinarians are frequently licensed to prescribe opioids, yet less is known about the prescribing practices of veterinarians. From a public health perspective, it is important to explore the potential connection between veterinary medicine and the opioid epidemic. The current study assessed whether variations in provider characteristics have similar patterns of influence on veterinary prescribing behaviors. Survey participants (n=369, response rate 48%) were veterinarians currently practicing and licensed through the Idaho Board of Veterinary Medicine. A hierarchical multiple regression model was employed using the sum score of opioid prescribing frequency as the dependent variable (F(4, 352) = 8.52, p < 0.05, R2 =.09). Four independent variables (gender, age, years of experience, and opioid education received in veterinary school) predicted provider characteristics. Of the characteristics selected for analysis, younger age and female gender significantly predicted higher opioid prescribing rates. When opioid education was included in the model, only gender remained significant. This study suggests that while physician characteristics can predict opioid prescribing behaviors in human healthcare providers, these characteristics do not seem to have the same influence on opioid prescribing in Idaho’s veterinary population.
DOI
10.18122/td/1676/boisestate
Recommended Citation
Jones, Tara A., "Influence of Provider Characteristics on Opioid Prescribing Behavior Among Idaho Veterinarians" (2020). Boise State University Theses and Dissertations. 1676.
10.18122/td/1676/boisestate