Opioid use and disposal at 2 weeks post-surgery: Brief communication regarding excess opioids and disposal habits

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jom.0854

Keywords:

orthopedic, opioid epidemic, opioid education, surgery, opioid use

Abstract

Objective: To measure the number of unused prescription opioids and disposal habits of patients following orthopedic shoulder surgery.

Design: A prospective observational study.

Setting: Academic orthopedic sports medicine department.

Patients: Sixty-seven patients undergoing shoulder surgery.

Interventions: Nine-question opioid use questionnaire.

Main outcome measures: Responses to an opioid use questionnaire were collected at 2 weeks post-surgery. Outcomes of interest included the amount of initial opioid prescription used and the disposal of excess opioids.

Results: Sixty-seven patients completed the opioid use questionnaire. Forty-six (68.7 percent) patients reported having excess opioids at 2 weeks. Of the 46 patients with excess opioids, 57 percent disposed of the excess, and 43 percent planned to keep their opioids.

Conclusion: Two-thirds of the patients reported having excess opioids, highlighting the issue of an overabundance of unused prescription opioids in America. Utilization of opioid-free pain management strategies and drug disposal kits should be explored to reduce the number of unused and improperly disposed opioids.

Author Biographies

Henry Kuechly, BS

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Sarah Kurkowski, MD

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

John Bonamer, BS

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Brian Newyear, BS

Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, Ohio

Brian Johnson, MD

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Brian Grawe, MD

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

References

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Published

04/01/2024

How to Cite

Kuechly, H., S. Kurkowski, J. Bonamer, B. Newyear, B. Johnson, and B. Grawe. “Opioid Use and Disposal at 2 Weeks Post-Surgery: Brief Communication Regarding Excess Opioids and Disposal Habits”. Journal of Opioid Management, vol. 20, no. 2, Apr. 2024, pp. 103-7, doi:10.5055/jom.0854.

Issue

Section

Brief Communication

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