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Fong ISH, Yiu CH, Abelev MD, Allaf S, Begley DA, Bugeja BA, Khor KE, Rimington J, Penm J. Supply of opioids and information provided to patients after surgery in an Australian hospital: A cross-sectional study. Anaesth Intensive Care 2023; 51:340-347. [PMID: 37688434 PMCID: PMC10493037 DOI: 10.1177/0310057x231163890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Opioids are commonly prescribed to manage pain after surgery. However, excessive supply on discharge can increase patients' risk of persistent opioid use and contribute to the reservoir of unused opioids in the community that may be misused. This study aimed to evaluate the use of opioids in Australian surgical patients after discharge and patient satisfaction with the provision of opioid information after discharge. This prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary referral and teaching hospital. Surgical patients were called 7-28 days after discharge to identify their opioid use and the information that they received after discharge. In total, 66 patients responded. Most patients underwent orthopaedic surgery (45.5%; 30/66). The median days of opioids supplied on discharge was 5 (IQR 3-5). In total, 40.9% (27/66) of patients had >50% of their opioids remaining. Patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery were less likely to have >50% of their opioids remaining (P = 0.045), whilst patients undergoing urological or renal surgeries were significantly more likely (P = 0.009). Most patients recalled receiving information about their opioids (89.4%; 59/66). However, the majority (51.5%; 34/66) did not recall receiving any information about the signs of opioid toxicity and interactions between opioids and alcohol. In conclusion, around 40% of patients had more than half of their opioid supply remaining after they ceased taking their opioid. Although most patients recalled receiving information about their opioids, more than half did not recall receiving any information about the signs of opioid toxicity or interactions between opioids and alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian SH Fong
- Department of Pharmacy, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia
| | - Chin Hang Yiu
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Matthew D Abelev
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Sara Allaf
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, Camperdown, Australia
| | - David A Begley
- Department of Pain Management. Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia
| | - Bernadette A Bugeja
- Department of Pain Management. Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia
| | - Kok Eng Khor
- Department of Pain Management. Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia
| | - Joanne Rimington
- District Pharmacy Services, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Randwick, Australia
| | - Jonathan Penm
- Department of Pharmacy, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, Camperdown, Australia
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Tan ACH, Bugeja BA, Begley DA, Stevens JA, Khor KE, Penm J. Postoperative use of slow-release opioids: The impact of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists/Faculty of Pain Medicine position statement on clinical practice. Anaesth Intensive Care 2020; 48:444-453. [DOI: 10.1177/0310057x20956664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Dose titration with immediate-release opioids is currently recommended for acute pain. The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and the Faculty of Pain Medicine released a statement in March 2018 supporting their use in the treatment of opioid-naïve patients; however, the impact of this statement on clinical practice is currently unknown. This retrospective cohort study was conducted to compare opioid prescribing patterns before and after the release of the recommendations. Data were collected on 184 patients (2017, n = 78; 2018, n = 106) admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital in November 2017 and 2018, which consisted of demographic data, opioid prescriptions and discharge opioid information. The main outcome is the number of prescriptions of slow-release opioids in 2017 versus 2018 after the recommendations were published. Confounding factors were accounted for using logistic and multiple regression as appropriate. There was a 29% decrease in slow-release opioid prescriptions during hospitalisation ( n = 31, 40% versus n = 12, 11%; P < 0.001) and 17% decrease at discharge ( n = 20, 26% versus n = 9, 9%; P = 0.02) post-publication. After adjusting for confounders, the odds of slow-release opioids being prescribed postoperatively and at discharge reduced by 86% and 88%, respectively (postoperative period: odds ratio 0.14, P < 0.05; discharge: odds ratio 0.12, P < 0.05). In addition, orthopaedic patients were more likely to receive slow-release opioids, consistent with existing literature. As the use of slow-release opioids has been associated with increased harm and protracted opioid use compared to immediate-release opioids, it is hoped that wider dissemination of these recommendations and a change in prescribing practice can be a step towards overcoming the opioid crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeline CH Tan
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Bernadette A Bugeja
- Department of Pain Management, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia
| | - David A Begley
- Department of Pain Management, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia
| | - Jennifer A Stevens
- Brian Dwyer Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, St Vincent’s Public Hospital, Darlinghurst, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
| | - Kok-Eng Khor
- Department of Pain Management, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia
- Prince of Wales Clinical School, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
| | - Jonathan Penm
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
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