Long-term opioid use after discharge from inpatient musculoskeletal rehabilitation

To determine: (i) the prevalence of opioid-naïve patients discharged on opioids from a musculoskeletal rehabilitation inpatient unit; (ii) the prevalence of opioid use 6 months after discharge; and (iii) the efficacy of the Opioid Risk Tool in identifying long-term opioid use.

Prospective study.

Sixty-four opioid-naïve patients who were exposed to opioids during admission and who were discharged on an opioid.

Potentially eligible patients' charts were reviewed. Participants were interviewed during admission to obtain the opioid risk score and contacted 6 months after discharge via a semi-structured telephone interview.

Twenty-eight percent of opioid-naïve patients, who were discharged on opioids were still using opioids 6 months after discharge from rehabilitation. There was a trend for higher Opioid Risk Tool scores in those still using opioids than in individuals who were not using opioids at 6 months (p = 0.053).

Patients who are prescribed opioids during a hospital admission should be screened for risk of opioid misuse. This data suggests that the Opioid Risk Tool could identify a patient's potential for becoming a long-term user of opioids.