Educational Video on Pain Management and Subsequent Opioid Use After Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether viewing an educational video on pain management reduces opioid use after cesarean delivery.

METHODS: We conducted a randomized, controlled trial of women aged 18 years or older who underwent cesarean delivery at a tertiary care center. Eligible women were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to usual discharge pain medication instructions plus an educational video on pain management or to usual discharge pain medication instructions alone. All women received the same opioid prescription at discharge: Twenty 5-mg oxycodone tablets. Participants were contacted at 7 days and at 14 days after delivery to assess the number of oxycodone tablets used, adjunct medication (acetaminophen and ibuprofen) use, pain scores, and overall satisfaction of pain control. The primary outcome was the number of oxycodone tablets used from discharge through postpartum day 14. A sample size of 23 per group (n=46) was planned to detect a 25% difference in mean number of oxycodone tablets used between groups, as from 20 to 15.

RESULTS: From July 2019 through December 2019, 61 women were screened and 48 were enrolled-24 in each group. Women who viewed the educational video used significantly fewer opioid tablets from discharge through postpartum day 14 compared with women who received usual pain medication instructions (median 1.5, range 0-20 vs median 10, range 0-24, P<.001). Adjunct medication use, pain scores, and satisfaction with pain control did not differ significantly between groups.

CONCLUSION: Among women who underwent cesarean delivery, viewing an educational video on pain management reduced postdischarge opioid use.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03959969.