Prolonged oxycodone use and potential risk factors in postoperative patients: a case control study

Prolonged exposure to opioids has a negative influence on the physical and mental health of a person. Currently, little is known about the risk of prolonging opioids after first postoperative use.

A study was conducted to define the proportion of postoperative patients that use oxycodone longer than prescribed to determine risk factors of prolonged use.

This retrospective single-center nested case-control study was performed in the Elisabeth Tweesteden Hospital. The study population consisted of postoperative adult patients who received an oxycodone prescription at discharge between April 2018 and June 2020. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with at least one refill of oxycodone during a follow-up period of 30 days. The secondary outcome was the association of potential risk factors with oxycodone refills. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the association between the variables and outcome.

1203 patients were included of which 280 (23.3%) received one or more refill. Age (adjusted odds ratio 1.01 [95% confidence interval 1.00-1.02]), length of stay (1.10 [1.06-1.14], a Numeric Rating Scale pain score of four or higher (1.52 [1.14-2.01]), use of the continuous release form only (2.15 [1.60-2.89]) and admission to various hospital departments were associated with a refill of oxycodone .

The proportion of patients with a refill of oxycodone is 23.3%. This could result in chronic oxycodone use and potential misuse. Patients with the determined risk factors may be a suitable population for future interventions to minimize prolonged use.