Is otologic surgery contributing to the opioid epidemic?

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Pain Management
• Public Health

Background:

• The opioid epidemic is a major public health crisis, particularly in North America.
• Surgeons' prescribing habits significantly influence opioid use for post-operative pain.
• European opioid prescribing patterns for post-operative pain management differ from North American trends.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare post-surgical opioid prescribing patterns of otologists in Canada and Austria.
• To investigate differences in pain management strategies following otologic surgery between the two countries.

Main Methods:

• An online questionnaire was distributed to 33 Canadian and 32 Austrian otologic surgeons.
• Surgeons provided data on their background, prescribing habits for common ear surgeries (cochlear implant, stapedotomy, tympanoplasty), and use of local anesthetics.
• Surgeons reported their confidence in achieving adequate post-operative pain control with their prescribed regimens.

Main Results:

• Opioid prescriptions are more common in Canada than in Austria for otologic procedures.
• Austrian surgeons more frequently utilize non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for post-operative pain management.
• Some European-prescribed analgesics are unavailable in North America, and local anesthetic use at surgery's end is less common in Austria.
• Surgeons not routinely prescribing opioids reported higher confidence in pain management compared to those who do.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences exist in otologic post-surgical pain management prescribing patterns between Canada and Austria.
• There is a clear opportunity to reduce opioid prescriptions in otologic surgery.
• Further research on post-otologic surgery pain and analgesic efficacy is warranted.