Qualitative Analysis
Finally, the content and time-series analyses were supplemented by a qualitative analysis. We noted a clear time-based trend in the publication of citing articles in the anaesthesia field, which had three publication peaks that stood out from the other research areas. We purposively sampled all the articles from this field that were published in each of the three peaks through the study period. These papers were re-read and analyzed with a focus on the larger context of the citation of the index study, as well as the general tone of the article towards opioids and opioid prescribing for chronic non-cancer pain. Once each paper was analyzed, attitudes towards opioid prescribing were summarized for each peak year. These summaries were then compared to the quantitative results in order to add depth and context to our overall findings.