Opioids are commonly prescribed to patients discharged from the hospital after total knee and total hip replacement surgery. Patients are usually given more prescriptions for opioids and can become overmedicated at home after recovery is over.
in research studies “Association between initial prescription size and likelihood of opioid replacement after total knee and total hip replacement surgery” was announced in arthroplasty journal, Elizabeth Daley, M.D.a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Michigan Health System and colleagues, examined the effect of providing a lower initial opioid prescription on the risk of re-prescription in the first 30 days after surgery.
Although opioid addiction is prevalent in the United States, it is still common for drugs to be prescribed to treat postoperative pain in and out of the hospital. , so that patients do not frequently ask their doctors for refills.
“The goal was to come up with a quality improvement program that would reduce the dose of opioids administered to patients leaving the hospital,” Daily said.
Dailey and colleagues used private and Medicare insurance data to create a large cohort of nationally representative hip and knee arthroplasty patients. Next, we examined the correlation between the initial opioid prescription dose and the risk of replenishment, which showed that patients who were prescribed less opioid did not need more replenishment.
“Reducing the amount of opioids you prescribe to patients makes them less likely to take too much opioids at home after recovery,” Dailey said. “It also creates an opportunity for physicians and patients to discuss the risks of continuing opioids if patients seek replacement.”
according to American Centers for Disease Control and Preventionopioids are now the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States.
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Additional Authors: Viktor C. Tollemar, MD, Andrew G. Urquhart, MD, and Brian R. Hallstrom, MD, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hsou-Mei Hu PhD, MBA, MHS and Jennifer F. Waljee, MD, MPH, MS, University of Michigan Surgery, Ann Arbor, Michigan and Opioid Prescription Engagement Network, Institute for Health care Policy and Innovation, University of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mark C. Bickett, M.D. and Chad M. Blumet, M.D. (Opioid Prescription Engagement Network, Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan State and Department of Anesthesia, University of Michigan Ann Arbor), Michigan.
Funding: JW, MB, and CB receive funding from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (RO1DA042859). Additional funding from the University of Michigan Precision Health Initiative.
Cited paper: “Association between initial prescription size and likelihood of opioid replacement after total knee and total hip replacement surgery.” Journal of Arthroplasty. DOI: 10.1016/j.arth.2022.10.038
