Perspectives on Clinicians' Roles and Postpartum Opioid Pain Management: A Qualitative Analysis

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Pain Management
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Postpartum pain is a common patient complaint.
• Current postpartum pain management approaches exhibit significant variability.
• Improving the quality and equity of postpartum pain management is a critical healthcare goal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in postpartum pain management perspectives based on clinician roles.
• To explore how attending physicians, trainee physicians, and advanced practice providers (APPs) approach postpartum pain.
• To identify factors influencing these differing perspectives and practices.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study conducted at a tertiary academic medical center.
• In-depth interviews with 46 obstetric clinicians (attending physicians, trainee physicians, APPs) from November 2021 to June 2022.
• Constant comparative method used for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Clinician perspectives on postpartum pain management differ by role and experience level.
• Attending physicians reported greater comfort with opioid prescribing and supervisory roles.
• Trainee physicians noted patient load impacts and hesitancy with opioids, while APPs emphasized non-pharmacological methods and less opioid reliance.

Conclusions:

• Clinician roles significantly shape postpartum pain management strategies.
• Differences in experience, training, and approach (e.g., opioid vs. non-opioid focus) were observed.
• Addressing these role-specific perspectives is essential for optimizing pain management interventions and opioid prescribing patterns.