Pain Medication Disposal Rates After Pediatric Surgery

Autor: Daniel R. Grant, John P. Lubicky, Taylor L. Shackleford, Jeffrey D. Lancaster, Justin J. Ray, Diane Bronikowski
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Hosp Pediatr
ISSN: 2154-1671
Popis: OBJECTIVES: To investigate prescription opiate usage, disposal rates, and methods of disposal after pediatric surgery. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review of patients RESULTS: A total of 290 patients with a mean age of 9.0 ± 4.7 years (62.8% male) met inclusion criteria. Sixty patients (20.7%) reported using all of their prescription opiate medication, whereas 230 patients (79.3%) did not use all of their pain medication. Of these 230 patients, 141 (61.3%) disposed of their leftover prescription opiates via flushing (56.4%), trash (28.6%), or take-back center (15.0%). At the time of phone survey between 60 and 90 days postoperatively, 88 patients (38.3%) still had leftover pain medication. By 7 days postoperatively, 234 of 290 patients (80.7%) had taken their last prescription opioid. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, 79.3% of patients were overprescribed opiate pain medication after pediatric surgery. Disposal rates at 60 to 90 days for leftover pain medication after pediatric surgery was just >60%. Pediatric patients are often overprescribed prescription opiates after surgery and typically only require a one-week supply of pain medication.
Databáze: OpenAIRE