Fig. 4: Association between ethnicity and prescription of Step 3 and Step 2 opioids in the final three months of life.

a Adjusted rate ratios (aRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), including lower (LL) and upper limits (UL), for the association between patient ethnicity and prescription of Step 3 opioids. b Adjusted rate ratios (aRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), including lower (LL) and upper limits (UL), for the association between patient ethnicity and prescription of Step 2 opioids. Patients from the White ethnic group are the comparison group. An aRR value > 1 indicates a higher rate of prescription. Models were adjusted for patients’ sociodemographic characteristics, including age, cancer type, practice-level urban and rural classification, year of prescription issue, practice-level Index for Multiple Deprivation (IMD), practice region, palliative care need and number of comorbidities.