Preoperative Patient Education as a Tool for Reducing Postoperative Opioid Use Following Primary Total Hip...

Minimizing postoperative opioids remaining after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is important for patient outcomes and community safety. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether completion of one preoperative patient education class prior to THA was associated with reduced opioid consumption at 2 weeks postoperatively. Secondary goals included evaluating whether satisfaction scores and postoperative healthcare utilization were impacted by class attendance, and whether demographic characteristics varied between groups that may highlight care disparities for our practice to address.

Patients undergoing primary THA between January 2022 and December 2024 at a single large academic institution were retrospectively evaluated for inclusion, identifying 372 patients who completed the education class and 30 patients who did not. All patients received a multimodal perioperative pain management protocol standardized at our institution.

The number of morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) consumed in the 2 weeks following THA was significantly lower among the class completion group (84.60 vs 127.30 MMEs; P = .04). On multivariable analysis, patients who attended the preoperative education class consumed 41.57 fewer MMEs compared to those who do not attend (95% confidence interval: -75.87 to -7.27; P = .018). No differences in complications, 2-week refill requests, emergency department visits, or readmission were noted. Functional outcome and satisfaction scores were high among both groups.

THA patients who completed an education class preoperatively consumed significantly fewer prescribed opioids as measured at the 2-week mark following surgery compared to those who did receive education. Our results support the role of patient education in reducing opioid use following arthroplasty.