A Global Survey on Opioid Stewardship Practices in Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

The objectives of this study are to describe opioid stewardship practices in hospitals being implemented globally, in addition to investigating the attitudes and perceptions of health professionals regarding opioid stewardship in the hospital setting.

A survey was developed by the research team to ask about participants' attitudes and perceptions regarding opioid stewardship practices. The survey was piloted for performance by five independent third-party healthcare professionals prior to being made available online, being hosted using Research Electronic Data Capture software, with invitations distributed by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). Descriptive analyses were used to describe the features of the study, and responses obtained from the survey were further categorised into subgroups separating answers relating to attitudes and perceptions, and policies and regulations.

Overall, there were 50 respondents from 18 countries, representing an 8% response rate from the FIP hospital pharmacy section mailing list. In total, 33/50 (66%) participants agreed opioids are overused nationally, with 22/49 (45%) agreeing they are overused at their workplace. Furthermore, 32/50 (64%) agreed the opioid crisis is a significant problem nationally, and 44/50 (88%) agreed opioid stewardship would reduce problems associated with the opioid crisis. Policies to educate providers about safe opioid prescribing were uncommon, not exhibited in 26/46 (57%) of hospitals, with all EMR and SE Asia hospitals not displaying this policy. Policy for investigation of narcotic discrepancies was present in 34/46 (74%) of hospitals, and there was a policy for reporting discrepancies at 33/46 (72%) hospitals.

In conclusion, healthcare professionals in the American region are more likely to perceive the opioid crisis as a problem, as opposed to those from the European region. Regardless of the presence or absence of a crisis, the implementation of further opioid education and stewardship practices are necessary globally and will contribute to safer prescribing and utilisation practices in hospitals.