Variation in postoperative narcotic prescribing after pediatric appendectomy
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In brief
In brief
Quality improvement study demonstrating that educational interventions and standardized protocols dramatically reduced opioid prescriptions after pediatric appendectomy from 84% to 7% without compromising pain control or patient satisfaction. Provides evidence-based approach to opioid stewardship in pediatric surgical populations.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Background
Overuse of prescription opioids by both pediatric and adult patients has garnered significant attention in recent years. Educational interventions have been shown to decrease prescription opioids post-operatively in the adult population; similar data have not previously been reported in pediatrics.
Methods
Educational interventions included staff education, institution of opioid standardization protocol, and distribution of educational materials to families. Chart review was performed pre- and post-intervention to compare prescribing practices following appendectomy in patients less than 19 years of age. Follow-up phone calls were used to assess patient satisfaction and pain control.
Results
Three hundred thirteen cases were identified pre-intervention [PRE] and compared to 119 cases postintervention [POST]. 84.3% of patients were given a prescription for opioids at time of discharge in the PRE cohort compared to 6.7% (p