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A Qualitative Study of Patient Protection against Postoperative Opioid Addiction: A Thematic Analysis of Self-Agency

  • Participants actively sought out protective mechanisms supporting their decision on opioid use, but sometimes did so unconsciously. Participants integrated a strong sense of self in their decision-making processes.
  • A robust understanding of how patients choose to take opioids for postoperative pain control is imperative to develop patient-centered strategies to treat the opioid epidemic.
  • Effective opioid-reduction policies should consider patients as active agents who negotiate various internal and external influences in their decision-making processes.


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Cho HE, Billig JI, Byrnes ME, Nasser JS, Kocheril AP, Haase SC, Waljee JF, Chung KC. A Qualitative Study of Patient Protection against Postoperative Opioid Addiction: A Thematic Analysis of Self-Agency. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Published online 1 May 2021. DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000007841