Submit-Surgical procedure Opioid Prescriptions Decline, However Extra Work Wanted – A brand new examine reveals a big decline in post-surgery opioid prescriptions over the previous seven years, however it additionally highlights a worrying pattern: the speed of decline has slowed since 2020. This underscores the necessity for continued efforts to right-size opioid prescribing after surgical procedure and guarantee affected person security.
Key findings:
- Total lower: Between 2016 and 2022, the speed of surgery-related opioid prescriptions dropped by 36%, and the typical quantity of opioids prescribed fell by a considerable 46%.
- Pre-pandemic acceleration: The examine discovered a a lot quicker fee of decline earlier than the pandemic, underlining the potential for additional progress. This discovering is much more important contemplating the disruption brought on by the preliminary COVID-19 wave.
- Remaining issues: Regardless of the encouraging lower, the typical American surgical procedure affected person nonetheless acquired an alarming equal of 44 5-milligram hydrocodone tablets in late 2022, far exceeding the precise wants for many procedures.
- Specialty variations: The examine recognized important variations in opioid prescribing practices throughout completely different surgical specialties. Notably, cardiothoracic surgeons and ophthalmologists achieved spectacular reductions, whereas orthopedic surgeons nonetheless account for the most important share of opioid prescriptions.
- Proper-sizing crucial: The examine emphasizes the necessity for right-sizing opioid prescriptions, that means they need to solely be given when medically essential and in quantities tailor-made to particular person affected person wants. This strategy can considerably cut back the dangers of opioid misuse, persistent use, and diversion.
- Non-opioid ache care: The concentrate on right-sizing opioid prescriptions goes hand-in-hand with selling efficient non-opioid ache administration methods. This reduces the danger of unintended publicity to opioids by others within the family and minimizes the potential for dangerous interactions with different drugs or substances like alcohol.
Examine particulars:
- This analysis, led by a workforce from the College of Michigan, analyzed knowledge from a complete dataset masking 92% of U.S. pharmacies over seven years.
- Funding for the examine was supplied by the Nationwide Institute on Drug Abuse, the Benter Basis, and the Michigan Division of Well being and Human Companies.
Assets
- The Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Community (OPEN) has developed invaluable prescribing tips for grownup and pediatric surgical care, accessible at https://michigan-open.org/prescribing-recommendations/.
- This analysis highlights the pressing want for continued efforts to handle post-surgery opioid prescribing practices. Surgeons, healthcare establishments, and policymakers should collaborate to implement efficient methods that guarantee affected person security and contribute to combating the opioid disaster.
By taking a multi-pronged strategy, together with right-sizing prescriptions, selling non-opioid ache administration, and offering assets and assist to healthcare suppliers, we will make important progress in lowering the pointless use of opioids after surgical procedure.
Name to motion:
Surgeons must proceed efforts to cut back opioid prescriptions and guarantee they’re solely used when essential and in acceptable quantities. It will enhance affected person security and fight the opioid disaster.
Proceed to examine our web site soundhealthandlastingwealth.com for extra articles of this type. And, please use our remark part as nicely, we’d love to listen to from you.