Abstract
Introduction: Overprescribing by providers is a leading contributor to the opioid crisis. Despite available information regarding the role that physician prescribing plays in the community availability of opioids, guidelines for the management of acute pain remain sparse. This project aims to evaluate opioid prescribing, opioid usage patterns, and postoperative pain control in patients undergoing isolated mid-urethral sling (MUS) placement.Methods: Patients who underwent isolated MUS placement from March 19, 2019 through March 19, 2020 were contacted by telephone in May 2020 and asked a series of questions examining opioid usage, postoperative pain, what they did with unused opioids, and whether they had received education on disposal techniques. A chart review was utilized to determine the amount of opioid prescribed, the presence of any operative complications, and medical and demographic characteristics of subjects.Results: A total of 53 subjects met inclusion criteria, of which 31 participated in a phone interview. Of the 53 subjects, 54.7% received a postoperative opioid prescription, and all but two of these subjects filled their prescription. Of the interviewed subjects, only 66.6% who filled a prescription reported using opioids Fifty percent (n=6) of patients that required oxycodone reported use of four tablets (30 morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs)) or less and used for 1-2 days postoperatively. No patient reported using opioids beyond five days. Only 22.2% reported receiving instruction on opioid disposal, and 16.7% returned unused opioids to a disposal center. 87.1% of subjects rated postoperative pain as “better” or “much better” than expected.Conclusion: Patients undergoing isolated MUS placement require limited amounts of postoperative opioids, if any are needed at all, to achieve satisfactory pain control. Excess prescribed opioids, along with inadequate patient education on proper disposal techniques, may contribute towards opioids that are at risk of diversion for nonmedical use.
Highlights
Overprescribing by providers is a leading contributor to the opioid crisis
Despite available information regarding the role that physician prescribing plays in the community availability of opioids, guidelines for the management of acute pain remain sparse [7]
This study examines the use of postoperative opioids vs. the amount prescribed following isolated mid-urethral sling (MUS) placement and presents a model for optimization of prescribing practices
Summary
Overprescribing by providers is a leading contributor to the opioid crisis, with 74% of opioid abusers obtaining their pills either directly from a physician or indirectly through an acquaintance with an opioid prescription [2,3] This scenario is pervasive amongst patients prescribed opioid for post-operative pain, as more than 70%-80% of prescribed postoperative opioid remains unused and patients are faced with unclear or inconvenient disposal options [4,5,6]. Despite available information regarding the role that physician prescribing plays in the community availability of opioids, guidelines for the management of acute pain remain sparse [7]. Postoperative opioid prescribing has few standards, wide regional and cultural variations, and inconsistent applications [6,8,9]
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