Opioid Consumption After Hospital Discharge in Orthopedic Surgery

After being discharged from the hospital, opioids are major source of pain relief for patients. Previous studies show that 71% of patients prescribed opioid medications after thoracic surgery admitted to taking half or less of their prescribed opioid medications. The analysis showed a correlation between the amount of opioids consumed during the patient hospitalization and after discharge. Goesling et al. surveyed patients with or without previous history of opioid use who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA). Both groups were followed for 6 months to document the "natural history" of opioid use postoperatively and post discharge. For patients with preoperative opioid use undergoing TKA, 88.5% were shown to be using opioids after 1 month, 48.2% after 3 months and 53.5% after 6 months. For patients considered opioid naïve undergoing TKA, 66.5% were shown to be using opioids after 1 month, 16.6% after 3 months and 8.2% after 6 months. For patients with preoperative opioid use undergoing THA, 63.9% were shown to be using opioids after 1 month, 37.8% after 3 months and 34.7% after 6 months. For patients considered opioid naïve undergoing THA, 22.5% were shown to be using opioids after 1 month, 4.4% after 3 months and 4.3% after 6 months.

This study is observational and involves consenting adult patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery to pre-operative assessments including the Self Administered Gerocognitive Exam (SAGE) questionnaire, a cognitive test to identify mild-moderate cognitive impairment, and collection of demographic data and medical history. Phone call follow-ups include assessments of post-discharge pain and opioid consumption, and completing verbally an adapted Activities of Daily Living questionnaire. No additional risks have been identified by participating in this study. Participants may not directly benefit from participating in this trial, but the data collected could provide valuable insight into the discrepancy between required opioid pain medications and opioid pain medication prescription for adequate pain management. This insight could then be applied to reevaluate post-discharge pain management procedures and standards of care, therefore curbing opioid use and abuse trends.