A single institution's effort to translate codeine knowledge into specific clinical practice

Codeine is an unpredictable analgesic because of its variable pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacogenetic properties. This variability may lead to ineffective analgesia in some and respiratory depression in others. Despite this, codeine is still widely used. At a pediatric tertiary medical institution, codeine was prescribed despite efforts to inform prescribers of the potentially unpredictable analgesia and serious side effects.

A retrospective/prospective metric was introduced to determine the frequency of codeine orders as compared with similar institutions using Pediatric Health Information Systems data.

Interventions included formal and informal education to prescribers, and replacing codeine with oxycodone for patients aged older than six months and an age-appropriate medication for those patients younger than six months within ordersets. Identifying and addressing the major barriers to change also was a key part of the process.

Codeine use was reduced by 97% from the first quarter of 2008 through the third quarter of 2012. This was accomplished through orderset changes and education. Codeine was completely eliminated from the hospital formulary in January 2013.

This quality improvement initiative was successful in eliminating codeine from the hospital formulary. Although education decreased codeine orders, understanding and addressing the barriers to change and directly changing the ordersets were the most effective and efficient for knowledge translation.