Clinician Views of an Opioid Prescribing Report with Peer Comparisons and Patient-Reported Outcomes

Providing feedback to clinicians on their prescribing is a promising approach to right-sizing opioid prescriptions. The present research investigated the perceived acceptability, appropriateness, helpfulness, and areas for improvement of a monthly report providing surgical clinicians feedback on their postoperative opioid prescribing relative to guidelines, peer prescribing, and patient-reported pills taken, as well as on patient-reported ability to manage pain. Between January and May 2023, surgeons, advanced practice providers, and residents who recently received these reports as part of a health system quality improvement intervention completed a survey (n = 38) or interview (n = 8). Mean (SD) acceptability of the prescribing report was 4.2 (0.8), and appropriateness was 4.2 (0.8); appropriateness varied by clinical role. All features of the report were rated as "very" or "extremely" helpful by a majority of respondents. Interviewees wished for fuller explanations, real-time updates, and improved accuracy. These findings can inform the design of clinician feedback in learning health systems.