Affecting emergency department oxycodone discharge prescribing: An educational intervention.

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Pharmacology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Opioid prescribing in emergency departments (EDs) requires careful management to ensure patient safety and prevent misuse.
• Educational interventions can influence prescriber behavior regarding controlled substances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on oxycodone prescribing practices in an ED.
• To assess changes in the number of oxycodone prescriptions per 1000 discharged patients and the quantity of medication prescribed.
• To examine the effect of the intervention on communication between ED prescribers and general practitioners.

Main Methods:

• An interrupted time series analysis was conducted in a tertiary hospital ED.
• Data on oxycodone prescriptions were obtained from the Queensland Health Medicines Regulation and Quality Unit database.
• The intervention involved educational sessions, emails, posters, and patient brochures for ED medical staff, nurses, and pharmacists.

Main Results:

• Oxycodone prescribing decreased from 38 to 29 per 1000 discharged patients, a 22% relative reduction.
• The mean number of oxycodone tablets per prescription decreased from 16.7 to 10.7.
• Discharge communication to general practitioners increased by 15.4% post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• An ED prescriber-focused educational intervention effectively reduced oxycodone prescribing and improved discharge communication.
• This strategy can contribute to enhanced patient safety and improved opioid stewardship in Australian EDs.