An analysis by Baden Cantonal Hospital showed that prescriptions of opioids rose by 91.4% when it came to treating light injuries and by 88.3% for serious injuries.
The study involved data relating to some two million patients suffering from fractures, bruising, sprains or minor injuries over the ten-year period.
The researchers say the increase is especially worrying since opioids are not necessarily more effective than other painkillers in treating locomotive pain after an accident, and they can come with problematic side-effects. These include cognitive troubles, nausea, hypersensitivity and the risk of addiction.
The study is not the first to show the dramatic increase in opioid usage in Switzerland – others have shown that the country is in the top four globally for prescriptions. However, the researchers say their discovery of the extent of opioid use in treating minor injuries is a new development.
Researchers from the University of Bern, Inselspital Bern, Bern’s University of Applied Sciences, and the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA) were also involved in the study, which was published in the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation.
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Opioid abuse on the rise in Switzerland
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Cases of opioid poisoning have almost tripled in Switzerland over the past 20 years, although the full extent of the situation is unclear.
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