Understanding post-operative opioid use across multiple surgical specialties

Area of Science:

• Surgical Outcomes
• Pain Management
• Public Health

Background:

• The United States faces a significant opioid epidemic, with prescribed opioids contributing to the crisis.
• Reducing opioid prescriptions is a national priority, necessitating data-driven strategies.
• Patient-level data on post-surgical opioid use are crucial for informing practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To collect and analyze patient-level data on opioid consumption after surgery across various surgical specialties.
• To assess the impact of presenting this data to surgeons on their future prescribing practices.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in a US teaching community hospital.
• Adult patients and their surgeons were surveyed regarding post-operative opioid use (tablets, days).
• Data on recovery without opioids, filled prescriptions, and unused opioid disposal were collected.

Main Results:

• Opioid consumption post-surgery was generally below expert guidelines across specialties.
• Orthopedic surgery demonstrated significantly higher post-operative opioid use.
• A majority of responding surgeons indicated plans to alter prescribing habits after reviewing patient data.

Conclusions:

• Community hospital data align with academic centers, showing patients routinely have unused opioids post-surgery.
• Findings underscore the need for evidence-based prescribing guidelines for post-operative pain management.
• Improved patient education and accessible disposal methods for unused opioids are essential.