Identification of provider characteristics influencing prescription of analgesics: a systematic literature review.

Pain is a comorbid and aggravating symptom that in many conditions can be perceived differently and should therefore be managed accordingly. Numerous factors, both social and cultural, are thought to influence the analgesic prescription. However, elucidation of such areas is limited. We therefore conducted a systematic literature review to test the hypothesis that variations in provider characteristics predict the prescription of pain medication.