TY - JOUR T1 - Physician variation in opioid prescribing: the importance of sex and gender JF - BMJ Quality & Safety JO - BMJ Qual Saf DO - 10.1136/bmjqs-2021-013697 SP - bmjqs-2021-013697 AU - Paula Rochon AU - Parya Borhani AU - Jennifer Akerman AU - Anamika Mishra Y1 - 2021/11/01 UR - http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/early/2021/11/01/bmjqs-2021-013697.abstract N2 - Concern about the link between opioid prescribing and preventable adverse drug events has led to a series of initiatives to reduce opioid use, with opioids identified as one of three high-priority drug classes targeted to reduce patient harms in the United States (US)’s National Action Plan for Adverse Drug Event Prevention.1 Variation in opioid prescribing practices by physicians has been observed, yet the reasons why these differences exist remain largely unknown. A better understanding of these differences may help to improve prescribing practice for opioids. Sex and gender considerations in opioid prescribing practices have not been well studied and may help address this important knowledge gap.There is some evidence to suggest that sex and gender of physicians can affect prescribing practices for older adults.2 Patient gender has also been related to the experience of health conditions, health-seeking behaviours and medication use.3–5 Sex (biologic), a term describing the physical characteristics and biological attributes of males, females and intersex individuals, influences biological manifestations of medical conditions and responses to drug therapy.5 In contrast, gender (sociocultural) refers to the socially constructed norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a man, woman or gender diverse person.6 While these concepts are related, they are often incorrectly interchanged. Considering sex and gender, and how they intersect with key identity factors such as age, culture, race and ethnicity, is an analytical approach7 that can be applied to systematically explore the influence of sex and gender on prescribing practices, revealing potentially important differences or trends that would otherwise remain obscured. Such an approach provides the opportunity to inform prescribing practices in general, and pain management strategies in particular. This will allow healthcare provision to be tailored to the unique needs of women, men and gender diverse people, including those in … ER -