Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
Lead Story: Postoperative Restrictive Opioid Protocols and Durable Changes in Opioid Prescribing and Chronic Opioid Use
JAMA Oncology
This prospective cohort study investigated whether postsurgical acute pain using a restrictive opioid prescription protocol (ROPP) of 3 days or less after discharge would result in reduced opioid use. Mean opioid prescribing days decreased from a mean (SD) of 3.9 (4.5) days in the pre-ROPP group to 1.9 (3.6) days in the post-ROPP group (P < .001), a 45% drop. Patients in the post-ROPP group also requested fewer refills compared to the pre-ROPP group. These results indicate that such a protocol is achievable for most patients, with the potential for reduced opioid use.
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