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Postoperative opioid prescribing patterns in the geriatric patient population
Jennifer Dias1, Shruti Zaveri2, Celia Divino2
1Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
American Journal of Surgery
|January 3, 2022
Summary
Geriatric patients undergoing general surgery were less likely to receive opioid prescriptions, though amounts decreased annually. Prescribing patterns differ significantly between elderly and non-elderly surgical patients.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Surgery
- Pain Management
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Opioid prescribing patterns in elderly patients undergoing general surgery are not well characterized.
- Understanding these patterns is crucial due to the growing elderly population.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify trends in postoperative opioid prescriptions in geriatric patients undergoing general surgery.
- Determine prescribing differences between geriatric and non-geriatric surgical patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective evaluation of geriatric and non-geriatric patients undergoing general surgery procedures (2014-2019).
- Analysis of differences in perioperative opioid prescriptions between the two groups.
Main Results:
- Geriatric patients (81.4%) were less likely to receive opioid prescriptions than non-geriatric patients (88.0%).
- Opioid amounts prescribed to geriatric patients decreased annually from 2016-2019.
- Younger geriatric patients (65-74) received higher opioid amounts than older geriatric patients (85+).
Conclusions:
- Postoperative opioid prescribing patterns significantly differ between geriatric and non-geriatric surgical patients.
- Further investigation into opioid prescribing practices in elderly surgical patients is warranted.
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