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Clinician opioid prescribing practices and patient utilization of prescribed opioids in pediatrics

Jeannie S Huang1, Cynthia L Kuelbs2

  • 1Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California; Director, Clinical Medical Education, Rady Children)s Hospital, San Diego, California.

Journal of Opioid Management
|November 3, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric clinicians frequently prescribe opioids for acute pain, with most prescriptions lasting 7 days. However, many parents retain unused opioid medications, highlighting a need for better disposal strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric pharmacology
  • Pain management
  • Public health

Background:

  • Limited understanding of pediatric opioid prescribing patterns.
  • Need to assess patient use and disposal of prescribed opioids in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate pediatric clinician opioid prescribing practices.
  • To evaluate patient utilization and disposal of prescribed opioids.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional, observational study design.
  • Survey of pediatric clinicians regarding opioid prescribing.
  • Survey of parents on opioid utilization and disposal.

Main Results:

  • 64% of clinicians reported prescribing opioids for acute pediatric pain.
  • 93% of opioid prescriptions were for 7 days or less.
  • 86% of parents reported leftover opioid medications, with 59% not disposing of them.

Conclusions:

  • Identified targets for interventions to minimize unnecessary opioid exposure in youth.
  • Highlights the prevalence of unused opioid medications in pediatric patients.
Abstract

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