EVIDENCE SHOWS:
Greater than 70% of prescribed opioids are not used 1,2
Reducing opioid prescribing improves the safety for patients, families, and communities
- Postoperative opioid prescribing varies significantly 1
- Prescription size was the strongest predictor of patient consumption 3
- Evidence-based opioid prescribing guidelines for the perioperative period are needed to enable tailored prescribing for patients and reduce excess opioid pills within communities 4
No Correlation between patient satisfaction scores and amount of opioid prescribed 5
Prescribing more opioids does not improve patient satisfaction
- Patients who were prescribed fewer opioids reported using fewer opioids with no change in pain scores 6
- Prescribers can feel empowered to reduce their initial opioid prescription without impacting patient satisfaction 5
No Correlation between probability of refill and amount of opioid prescribed 7
Prescribing fewer opioids initially does not correlate with an increase in refill requests
- Prescribers could prescribe smaller opioid prescriptions without influencing the probability of a refill request 7
- Implementation of evidence-based prescribing guidelines reduced post-laparoscopic cholecystectomy opioid prescribing by 63% without increasing the need for medication refills 6
6-10% of surgical patients develop new persistent opioid use 8,9,10
New persistent opioid use is one of the most common surgical complications
- Many patients continue to use their opioids for reasons other than surgical pain 9,10
- New persistent opioid use after surgery is an underappreciated surgical complication that warrants increased attention 8,9,10
Additional Resources:
OPEN Prescribing Recommendations: https://michigan-open.org/prescribing-recommendations/
Healthcare Professional Resources: https://michigan-open.org/healthcare-professionals/
References:
- Hill, M. Ann Surg. 2017;265(4):709-714.
- Bicket, MC. JAMA Surg. 2017;152(11):1066-1071.
- Howard, R. JAMA Surg. 2018. DOI:10.1001/jamasurg.2018.4234.
- Waljee, JF. Ann Surg. 2017;265(4): 728-730.
- Lee, JS. JAMA Surg. 2017;317(19): 2013-2015.
- Howard, R. JAMA Surg. 2018;153(3): 285-287.
- Sekhri S. Ann Surg. 2018;268(2): 271-276.
- Lee, JS. J Clin Oncol. 2017;35(36): 4042-4049.
- Goesling J. Pain. 2016;157(6):1259-1265.
- Brummett, CM. JAMA Surg. 2017. DOI:10.1001/jamasurg.2017.0504.
Cite this work:
OPEN: Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network (2022). 4 Evidence-Based Reasons to Improve Opioid Prescribing Practices After Surgery. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.56137/OPEN.000013