Variation in Postdischarge Opioid Prescribing After Childbirth and Associated Procedures

Current practice guidelines for postpartum pain management lack specific recommendations for opioid prescribing after vaginal births or vaginal births with associated procedures such as operative vaginal birth (ie, forceps, vacuum-assisted birth) and repair of third- or fourth-degree lacerations. This study used adjusted logistic regression models to assess between-hospital variation in opioid prescribing rates and prescription amounts in oral morphine equivalents (OMEs) for vaginal births with associated procedures. We performed a retrospective cohort study across 67 hospitals of 14,690 opioid-naive, nulliparous patients with term births, of whom 7.2% (n=1,053) had operative vaginal births and 4.9% (n=724) had third- or fourth-degree lacerations. In total, 1.8% of patients (n=269) received an opioid prescription, with a median amount of 60 OMEs (IQR 37.5-75). Prescription rate was higher for third- or fourth-degree laceration (11.6%), and prescription amount was highest for operative birth (75 OMEs, IQR 45-90 OMEs). At a hospital level, the largest range of proportion of patients receiving discharge opioid prescriptions was for third- or fourth-degree lacerations (0-66.7%) and the largest amount was for operative birth (25-135 OMEs). Opioid prescribing after vaginal births with associated procedures is higher than for routine vaginal birth and marked by variation among hospitals, highlighting an opportunity for standardization.