Megan L Allen, Anurika P De Silva, Sabine Braat, Karin Jones, Angela Chia, Timothy R Hucker, Sally L Brooks, Malcolm Hogg, Chuan-Whei Lee, Daryl L Williams, Charles C Kim
SummaryOpioids are often used to provide postsurgical analgesia but may cause harm if used inappropriately. We introduced an opioid stewardship program in three Melbourne hospitals to reduce the inappropriate use of opioids after patient discharge. The program had four pillars: prescriber education, patient education, a standardised quantity of discharge opioids, and general practitioner (GP) communication. Following introduction of the program, we undertook this prospective cohort study. The study aimed to describe post-program discharge opioid prescribing, patient opioid use and handling, and the impact of patient demographics, pain and surgical treatment factors on discharge prescribing...
June 20, 2023: Anaesthesia and Intensive Care