Parental Psychosocial Factors Moderate Opioid Administration Following Children's Surgery

Prescription Opioid Decision-making and Use Behaviors in Adolescents With Acute Pain: A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVES

Understanding adolescent perspectives on prescribed opioids in the context of medical care for acute pain is needed to prevent opioid-related adverse outcomes. We explored factors that may influence opioid decision-making and use behaviors among adolescents prescribed opioids for acute pain.

METHODS

We conducted semistructured interviews with 19 adolescents (63% females, ages 12 to 17) prescribed opioids upon discharge from surgery or intensive care unit admission. Interview transcripts were coded using inductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Five themes were identified: "Opioid use to reduce extreme pain and facilitate acute recovery"; "Familiarity with risks and negative effects of opioids"; "Assessment of opioid risk based on individual characteristics and use behaviors"; "Careful balance of risks, benefits, and symptoms when taking opioids"; "Importance of trusted adults for adolescent opioid management". Adolescents commonly believe opioids are only appropriate for severe pain that cannot be managed with other strategies. Most (but not all) adolescents were aware of addiction and other potential opioid harms and generally disapproved of misuse. However, a few adolescents would consider taking unprescribed opioids for severe pain. Adolescents wanted to be well informed for opioid decision-making, considering guidance from trusted adults.

DISCUSSION

Adolescents often demonstrated active and sound participation in shared opioid decision-making, influenced by complex integration of inputs and self-reflection. Conversely, potential factors that could contribute to risky behaviors included low personal risk perceptions, uncertainty about what constitutes opioid misuse, and avoidance of prescribed opioids despite extreme pain. Future studies may explore associations of adolescents' opioid decision-making with longer-term pain and opioid-related outcomes.

Can Alveolar Bone Grafting Using Posterior Iliac Crest be a Day Surgery Procedure?

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine if patients undergoing alveolar bone grafting (ABG) can be discharged home on the day of surgery safely and with high satisfaction.

DESIGN

This is a prospective cohort study of patients who underwent ABG over a 6-month period (August 2022 to February 2023). Medical records were reviewed, and postoperative surveys were provided to assess patient/family experience.

SETTING

Tertiary care free-standing pediatric hospital.

PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS

Participants who had ABG using iliac marrow from the posterior iliac crest.

INTERVENTIONS

Subjects were assigned to overnight admission (ON) or day surgery (DS) based on hospital bed capacity.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Main outcome measures were postoperative medical events and satisfaction with discharge timing.

RESULTS

41 participants were included: ON, n = 20 (48.8%); DS, n = 21 (51.2%), and there were no differences between groups in any predictor variable. There were no postoperative medical events. Overall, families reported comfort managing pain, nausea, bleeding, hydration, and nutrition after discharge. Most (83.3% of the DS group and 69.2% of the ON group, P = .644) reported satisfaction with the discharge timing they received, despite this being driven by hospital rather than patient factors. Reasons for some families preferring longer admission included fluid management (n = 2), anxiety about postoperative swelling (n = 2), and a long drive home (n = 1). For the ON group, 16.7% would have preferred same-day discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Same day discharge is safe and well-received in appropriately selected patients who undergo ABG using posterior iliac crest. Perioperative patient/family education is essential.

Nurse-led Preoperative Education With Home-based Internet Resources for Pediatric Patients and Their Parents

The majority of pediatric patients and their parents experience fear and anxiety related to their surgical experience. Traditionally, anesthesia providers addressed this anxiety with pharmacologic therapy, such as benzodiazepines, to provide amnesia and anxiolysis. However, this approach has been questioned due to the potential for developmental neurotoxicity, among other drawbacks. Further, the pharmacological approach does not remove preexisting anxiety that the child and parent experience before arrival and during check-in. Pediatric and parental preparation before surgery is an important step that continues to be inconsistently addressed, particularly in lower-resource community hospitals where the majority of routine pediatric outpatient procedures occur. This care gap provides an opportunity for preanesthesia nurses to intervene with valid, evidence-based preoperative education tools aimed at pediatric patients and their parents. Providing these resources before the day of surgery allows time for child-directed, at-home practice as often as the parent(s) and patient choose. Use of available resources from a leading children's hospital, nurses can create a tailored, developmentally appropriate preoperative education plan for pediatric patients and their parents, providing families with the power to create a positive surgical experience.

Leftover Opioid Analgesics and Disposal Following Ambulatory Pediatric Surgeries in the Context of a Restrictive Opioid-Prescribing Policy

BACKGROUND

Opioid analgesics are commonly prescribed for postoperative analgesia following pediatric surgery and often result in leftover opioid analgesics in the home. To reduce the volume of leftover opioids and overall community opioid burden, the State of Tennessee enacted a policy to reduce initial opioid prescribing to a 3-day supply for most acute pain incidents. We aimed to evaluate the extent of leftover opioid analgesics following pediatric ambulatory surgeries in the context of a state-mandated restrictive opioid-prescribing policy. We also aimed to evaluate opioid disposal rates, methods of disposal, and reasons for nondisposal.

METHODS

Study personnel contacted the parents of 300 pediatric patients discharged with an opioid prescription following pediatric ambulatory surgery. Parents completed a retrospective telephone survey regarding opioid use and disposal. Data from the survey were combined with data from the medical record to evaluate proportion of opioid doses prescribed that were left over.

RESULTS

The final analyzable sample of 185 patients (62% response rate) were prescribed a median of 12 opioid doses (interquartile range [IQR], 12-18), consumed 2 opioid doses (IQR, 0-4), and had 10 opioid doses left over (IQR, 7-13). Over 90% (n = 170 of 185) of parents reported they had leftover opioid analgesics, with 83% of prescribed doses left over. A significant proportion (29%, n = 54 of 185) of parents administered no prescribed opioids after surgery. Less than half (42%, n = 71 of 170) of parents disposed of the leftover opioid medication, most commonly by flushing down the toilet, pouring down the sink, or throwing in the garbage. Parents retaining leftover opioids (53%, n = 90 of 170) were most likely to keep them in an unlocked location (68%, n = 61 of 90). Parents described forgetfulness and worry that their child will experience pain in the future as primary reasons for not disposing of the leftover opioid medication.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite Tennessee's policy aimed at reducing leftover opioids, a significant proportion of prescribed opioids were left over following pediatric ambulatory surgeries. A majority of parents did not engage in safe opioid disposal practices. Given the safety risks related to leftover opioids in the home, further interventions to improve disposal rates and tailor opioid prescribing are warranted after pediatric surgery.

Anxiety and Mood Disorders Impacting Physician Opioid Prescribing in the Pediatric Hospital Setting

This research examined whether pediatric inpatients without an anxiety/mood disorder are more likely to receive opioids in response to pain compared to patients diagnosed with a mental health condition. Research questions were tested using cross-sectional inpatient electronic medical record data. Propensity score matching was used to match patients with a disorder with patients without the disorder (anxiety analyses: N = 2892; mood analyses: N = 1042). Although patients with anxiety and mood disorders experienced greater pain, physicians were less likely to order opioids for these patients. Analyses also disclosed an interaction of anxiety with pain-the pain-opioid relation was stronger for patients without an anxiety disorder than for patients with an anxiety diagnosis. Instead, physicians were more likely to place non-opioid analgesic orders to manage the pain of patients with anxiety disorders. Findings imply that pain management decisions might be influenced by patient's mental health.