Evaluation of a Residency Peer-to-Peer Intervention in Opioid Prescribing

Family physicians play a crucial role in addressing the opioid epidemic. We studied a novel peer-review opioid prescribing educational intervention for family medicine residents that incorporates guided instruction from an interdisciplinary care team.

We used a mixed-methods study design in the setting of a family medicine residency program in the Midwestern United States. Residents participated in small group, peer-to-peer discussions of patients chronically prescribed opioids with guidance and input from faculty, a pharmacist, and pharmacy students. Discussions followed a structured approach to evaluation based on guidelines, and written recommendations were given to the patients' resident primary care physician (PCP). For each patient, we reviewed electronic medical records to assess whether PCPs implemented the written recommendations. We used one-way analyses of variance to determine the statistical significance of changes made. The principal investigator interviewed seven participating residents to survey their satisfaction with the curriculum and collated suggestions for improvement.

Over a 3-year period, we reviewed 59 patients as part of the intervention; of these, 53 had complete records reviewed for this study. Patients' morphine milligram equivalent dosage (MME) declined modestly (P=.035). The number and proportion of recommendations implemented was correlated with the decline in MME (P=.004 and P=.013, respectively). Interviewed residents unanimously evaluated the curriculum positively, citing that the structured approach helped align their practices with guidelines.

The guided peer-review intervention effectively decreased chronic opioid use among patients, and residents positively evaluated the curriculum.