Abstract
ABSTRACT This Consensus Statement provides recommendations on the prescription of pain medication at discharge from hospital for opioid-naïve adult patients who undergo elective surgery. It encourages health care providers (surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses/nurse practitioners, pain teams, pharmacists, allied health professionals, and trainees) to (1) use nonopioid therapies and reduce the prescription of opioids so that fewer opioid pills are available for diversion and (2) educate patients and their families/caregivers about pain management options after surgery to optimize quality of care for postoperative pain. These recommendations apply to opioid-naïve adult patients who undergo elective surgery. This consensus statement is intended for use by health care providers involved in the management and care of surgical patients. A modified Delphi process was used to reach consensus on the recommendations. First, the authors conducted a scoping review of the literature to determine current best practices and existing guidelines. From the available literature and expertise of the authors, a draft list of recommendations was created. Second, the authors asked key stakeholders to review and provide feedback on several drafts of the document and attend an in-person consensus meeting. The modified Delphi stakeholder group included surgeons, anesthesiologists, residents, fellows, nurses, pharmacists, and patients. After multiple iterations, the document was deemed complete. The recommendations are not graded because they are mostly based on consensus rather than evidence.
Highlights
AimThe aim of this consensus statement is to make recommendations for the prescription of pain medication at discharge from hospital for opioid-naïve adult patients who have undergone an elective surgical procedure
(1) Minimize the prescription of opioids and encourage the use of nonopioid therapies for postoperative pain to ensure that fewer opioidcontaining tablets are available for diversion
Cautions Patients who are at high risk of persistent postoperative opioid use should be seen preoperatively by an anesthesiologist or a member of the pain team to develop a perioperative pain management plan
Summary
The aim of this consensus statement is to make recommendations for the prescription of pain medication at discharge from hospital for opioid-naïve adult patients who have undergone an elective surgical procedure. This consensus statement aims to encourage health care providers to (1) Minimize the prescription of opioids and encourage the use of nonopioid therapies for postoperative pain to ensure that fewer opioidcontaining tablets are available for diversion. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices in collaboration with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute developed and released a document in June 2018 to assist providers across Canada in minimizing the potential accidents that may arise when medications, opioids, are improperly stored and/or disposed of.[11] The most prominent concerns stem from inappropriate use and diversion. Flushing medications is a risk to the environment and has health risks
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have