Prescribing practices amid the oxycontin crisis: Examining the effect of print media coverage on opioid prescribing among physicians

The pain medication OxyContin (hereafter referred to as oxycodone extended release) has been the subject of sustained, and largely negative, media attention in recent years. We sought to determine whether media coverage of oxycodone extended release in North American newspapers has led to changes in prescribing of the drug in Nova Scotia, Canada. An interrupted time-series design examined the effect of media attention on physicians' monthly prescribing of opioids. The outcome measures were, for each physician, the monthly proportions of all opioids prescribed and the proportion of strong opioids prescribed that were for oxycodone extended release. The exposure of interest was media attention defined as the number of articles published each month in 27 North American newspapers. Variations in media effects by provider characteristics (specialty, prescribing volume, and region) were assessed. Within-provider changes in the prescribing of oxycodone extended release in Nova Scotia were observed, and they followed changes in media coverage. Oxycodone extended release prescribing rose steadily prior to receiving media attention. Following peak media attention in the United States, the prescribing of oxycodone extended release slowed. Likewise, following peak coverage in Canadian newspapers, the prescribing of oxycodone extended release declined. These patterns were observed across prescriber specialties and by prescriber volume, though the magnitude of change in prescribing varied. Perspective This study demonstrates that print media reporting of oxycodone extended release in North American newspapers, and its continued portrayal as a social problem, coincided with reductions in the prescribing of oxycodone extended release by physicians in Nova Scotia.