Opioid reduction and elimination in pediatric surgical patients. 2022

Wendy Jo Svetanoff, and Nathaniel Aviles, and Elizabeth Edmundson, and Daniel Millspaugh, and Jason D Fraser
Department of Surgery, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO.

BACKGROUND Opioid overuse is a national concern. Mitigation strategies include judicious prescribing and encouragement of non-opioid therapies. This quality improvement project aimed to identify physician opioid prescribing and patient usage patterns at a pediatric academic center. METHODS Patients who underwent same-day general, orthopedic, or plastic surgery procedures were contacted 7 - 28 days post-operatively. Inquiries were made about opioid usage, non-opioid strategies, and overall pain management satisfaction. A subset of general surgery patients not prescribed opioids was compared to those prescribed opioids. RESULTS Between August 2017 - May 2020, 558 surveys were obtained. There was a significant increase in the use of non-opioid therapies between 2017 and 2020 (83.5% vs 97%, p=0.04). Almost all patients' opioid prescriptions were filled; however, 78-98% had leftover opioids. Only 20-25% disposed the excess opioids. In subset analysis of general surgery patients, no inguinal hernia or orchiopexy patient who was discharged without opioids required opioids later. More non-opioid patients used other therapies (acetaminophen, heat (p=0.03)); however, pain management satisfaction was higher in the opioid group (99% vs 94%, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS While our opioid prescribing has decreased, physicians are still prescribing more opioids than patients require. Further education on non-opioid pain therapies and proper disposal of opioids are needed. METHODS III TYPE OF STUDY: prospective quality improvement study.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D010149 Pain, Postoperative Pain during the period after surgery. Acute Post-operative Pain,Acute Postoperative Pain,Chronic Post-operative Pain,Chronic Post-surgical Pain,Chronic Postoperative Pain,Chronic Postsurgical Pain,Pain, Post-operative,Persistent Postsurgical Pain,Post-operative Pain,Post-operative Pain, Acute,Post-operative Pain, Chronic,Post-surgical Pain,Postoperative Pain, Acute,Postoperative Pain, Chronic,Postsurgical Pain,Postoperative Pain,Acute Post operative Pain,Chronic Post operative Pain,Chronic Post surgical Pain,Chronic Postsurgical Pains,Pain, Acute Post-operative,Pain, Acute Postoperative,Pain, Chronic Post-operative,Pain, Chronic Post-surgical,Pain, Chronic Postoperative,Pain, Chronic Postsurgical,Pain, Persistent Postsurgical,Pain, Post operative,Pain, Post-surgical,Pain, Postsurgical,Post operative Pain,Post operative Pain, Acute,Post operative Pain, Chronic,Post surgical Pain,Post-operative Pains,Post-surgical Pain, Chronic,Postsurgical Pain, Chronic,Postsurgical Pain, Persistent
D010818 Practice Patterns, Physicians' Patterns of practice related to diagnosis and treatment as especially influenced by cost of the service requested and provided. Clinical Practice Patterns,Physician's Practice Patterns,Clinical Practice Pattern,Pattern, Clinical Practice,Patterns, Clinical Practice,Practice Pattern, Clinical,Practice Patterns, Clinical,Practice Patterns, Physician's,Prescribing Patterns, Physician,Physician Practice Patterns,Physician Prescribing Pattern,Physician Prescribing Patterns,Physician's Practice Pattern,Physicians' Practice Pattern,Physicians' Practice Patterns,Practice Pattern, Physician's,Practice Pattern, Physicians',Practice Patterns, Physician,Prescribing Pattern, Physician
D011446 Prospective Studies Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group. Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000701 Analgesics, Opioid Compounds with activity like OPIATE ALKALOIDS, acting at OPIOID RECEPTORS. Properties include induction of ANALGESIA or NARCOSIS. Opioid,Opioid Analgesic,Opioid Analgesics,Opioids,Full Opioid Agonists,Opioid Full Agonists,Opioid Mixed Agonist-Antagonists,Opioid Partial Agonists,Partial Opioid Agonists,Agonist-Antagonists, Opioid Mixed,Agonists, Full Opioid,Agonists, Opioid Full,Agonists, Opioid Partial,Agonists, Partial Opioid,Analgesic, Opioid,Full Agonists, Opioid,Mixed Agonist-Antagonists, Opioid,Opioid Agonists, Full,Opioid Agonists, Partial,Opioid Mixed Agonist Antagonists,Partial Agonists, Opioid
D059408 Pain Management A form of therapy that employs a coordinated and interdisciplinary approach for easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of those experiencing pain. Management, Pain,Managements, Pain,Pain Managements

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