Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 9, 2025
06:59
A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings
Published on: November 9, 2016
30.8K
Pain Medication Disposal Rates After Pediatric Surgery
Justin J Ray1, Taylor L Shackleford2, Diane Bronikowski3
1Departments of Orthopedics and justin.ray1@hsc.wvu.edu.
Hospital Pediatrics
|April 13, 2021
Summary
Most pediatric surgery patients receive too many opioid pain medications. Over 60% of leftover prescriptions were not properly disposed of within 90 days, indicating a need for better disposal practices.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Pain Management
- Public Health
Background:
- Postoperative pain management in children often involves prescription opioids.
- Concerns exist regarding the appropriate usage and disposal of these medications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate prescription opioid usage patterns after pediatric surgery.
- To determine the rates and methods of leftover opioid disposal.
- To assess medication management at 60-90 days postoperatively.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients (<18 years) prescribed opioids post-surgery (April 2017-June 2018).
- Follow-up phone survey conducted 60-90 days postoperatively to assess usage and disposal.
Main Results:
- 79.3% of patients did not use all prescribed opioids.
- Of those with leftovers, 61.3% disposed of them via flushing, trash, or take-back centers.
- 38.3% still had leftover medication at 60-90 days post-survey.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric patients are frequently overprescribed opioid pain medication after surgery.
- Disposal rates for leftover pediatric surgical pain medication remain suboptimal (>60% at 60-90 days).
- A significant supply of pain medication is often unused, highlighting potential for overprescription and improper disposal.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion
70
In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
70
01:23Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption
76
Understanding the physiological differences in the pediatric population is crucial for effective pharmacotherapy. Neonates, infants, and children exhibit significant variations in gastric pH, gastric emptying time, intestinal transit time, and biliary function. These variations profoundly affect oral drug absorption, necessitating a nuanced approach to pediatric dosing.Neonates present with a unique physiological profile, having a gastric pH greater than 4 and faster and more irregular gastric...
76
01:29Drug Dosing: Infants and Children
80
Pediatric patient dosages diverge from adults due to disparities in body surface area, total body water, and extracellular fluid per kilogram of body weight. The dosing regimen considers the variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacology across distinct age groups, encompassing preterm newborns, infants, young children, older children, and adolescents. Calculation of pediatric patient doses is predicated on determining body surface area, which exhibits a superior correlation with the child's...
80
01:02Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
987
Prescription drugs require a prescription from a medical practitioner and can only be obtained from a pharmacy. They have many applications, including treating pain, anxiety, and hypertension.
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
987
01:17Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution
96
Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight,...
96
01:24Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism
74
In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses...
74