DOI: 10.5061/dryad.s0pb0
title: Data from: Opioid use and storage patterns in patients after hospital discharge following surgery

description: Introduction: Opioid-based analgesic therapy represents a cornerstone of
 pain management after surgery. The recent rise in opioid sales and opioid
 overdoses suggests it is important to maximize the safety of opioid
 prescribing after surgery. Given that patients may live with other family
 members in the home, safe storage and appropriate disposal of excess
 opioids after hospital discharge are necessary to prevent unintended
 secondary exposures. Identifying characteristics of patients who are
 likely to be prescribed excess opioids after surgery may enable more
 targeted prescription practices and safety interventions. Our study aimed
 to elucidate patient-reported opioid use patterns and modes of home
 storage of opioids among patients discharged home after Cesarean section
 (C-section) and thoracic surgery. Specifically, we sought to identify
 characteristics of patients who reported using about half or more versus
 less of the opioids prescribed to them for use after hospital discharge.
 Methods: For this cohort study, we developed a survey on quality of
 analgesia following hospital discharge, amounts of opioids taken relative
 to the amount prescribed, reasons for not taking all prescribed
 medications, and storage and disposal methods for leftover opioids. Adult
 patients, who had C-section or thoracic surgery at a tertiary academic
 medical center, were given a web-based self-administered survey after
 discharge. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations,
 proportions) were used to describe the study sample and survey results.
 Comparisons between patients who reported taking about half or more versus
 less of the opioids prescribed to them for use after hospital discharge
 were made using unpaired t-tests, Mann-Whitney tests, and Chi-square tests
 as appropriate. Results: The majority (53%) of respondents after C-section
 (N = 30) reported taking either no or very few (less than 5) prescribed
 opioid pills; 83% reported taking half or less; and 17% of women, reported
 taking all or nearly all (5 or fewer pills left over) of their opioid
 prescription. In a cohort of patients after thoracic surgery (n = 31) 45%
 reported taking either no or very few (5 or less) prescribed opioid pills;
 71% reported taking half or less; and 29% of patients reported taking all
 or nearly all (5 or fewer pills left over) of their opioid prescription.
 In both cohorts, use of opioids while hospitalized was higher in the group
 reporting using about half or more of prescribed opioids after discharge.
 Leftover opioids were stored in an unlocked location in 77% and 73% of
 cases following C-section and thoracic surgery, respectively. Conclusion:
 Our findings from surveys in two distinct patient populations at a single
 academic medical center suggest that current opioid prescribing practices
 for pain management at hospital discharge following Cesarean section and
 thoracic surgery may not account for individual patients’ analgesic
 requirements. Excess opioid pills are commonly stored in unsecured
 locations and represent a potential source for non-medical opioid use and
 associated morbidity and mortality in patients and their families.
 Research to develop goal-directed and patient-centered post-discharge
 opioid prescription practices and encourage opioid safety practices after
 surgery is needed.
description: Limited Data
 Set_011016