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Pediatric postoperative opioid prescribing and the opioid crisis

Calista M Harbaugh, Samir K Gadepalli1

  • 1Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School.

Current Opinion in Pediatrics
|May 16, 2019
PubMed

Insights

The opioid crisis impacts pediatric patients post-surgery. Recommendations focus on safe opioid prescribing, multimodal pain management, and patient education to minimize harm.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric postoperative care
  • Pain management
  • Public health crisis

Background:

  • The opioid crisis affects all age groups, including children and adolescents.
  • Overprescribing and home accessibility of opioids contribute to increased overdoses.
  • Adverse risks include respiratory depression, GI distress, misuse, and overdose.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the impact of the opioid crisis on pediatric patients in the postoperative setting.
  • To provide recommendations for well-tolerated opioid prescribing practices in pediatric postoperative care.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on the opioid crisis and pediatric postoperative pain management.
  • Analysis of adverse risks associated with opioid use.
  • Identification of best practices for opioid stewardship.

Main Results:

  • Opioid stewardship requires balancing effective pain management with harm reduction.
  • Well-tolerated prescribing includes multimodal pain management and risk assessment.
  • Patient and family education on safe storage and disposal is crucial.

Conclusions:

  • Clinicians must adopt current and compliant opioid prescribing practices.
  • Adherence to evolving state laws and institutional policies is essential.
  • Minimizing harm in pediatric postoperative care necessitates careful opioid stewardship.
Abstract

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