Defining Optimal Length of Opioid Pain Medication Prescription After Common Surgical Procedures.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

The overprescription of pain medications has been implicated as a driver of the burgeoning opioid epidemic; however, few guidelines exist regarding the appropriateness of opioid pain medication prescriptions after surgery.

Objectives

To describe patterns of opioid pain medication prescriptions after common surgical procedures and determine the appropriateness of the prescription as indicated by the rate of refills.

Design, setting, and participants

The Department of Defense Military Health System Data Repository was used to identify opioid-naive individuals 18 to 64 years of age who had undergone 1 of 8 common surgical procedures between January 1, 2005, and September 30, 2014. The adjusted risk of refilling an opioid prescription based on the number of day

SUBMITTER: Scully RE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5833616 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature