Research Day
A SURVEY OF OPIOID PRESCRIPTION PRACTICES AND PAIN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION IN ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS
Document Type
Abstract
Date
2021
Abstract
Introduction: Opioid overdoses are a leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S. with prescription opioids largely contributing to cases of abuse[1]. Orthopedic surgeons are among the highest prescribers of opioids with prescriptions often in excess of pills[1,2,3]. This may be a result of the lack of education regarding pain management[4,5]. We hypothesize that there is no standard pain management prescribing regimen after shoulder arthroscopy with U.S. surgeons and this will be similar to when compared to other countries. Furthermore, we believe that orthopedic surgeons, in general, do not receive adequate training or guidelines in postoperative pain management regimens.
Methods: We implemented a survey of Magellan Society for Orthopedic Surgeons members at a recent meeting. Questions regarding postoperative pain management regimens following shoulder arthroscopy were recorded. Also asked was their educational experience or where they learned this regimen. Results: 34 orthopedic surgeons from 15 countries responded. There was minimal to no formal education regarding post-operative pain management. Comments on their regimens ranged from "do not know reason", "trial and error" or 'gestalt". The survey also demonstrated great variability between pain control regimens for the same operation regardless of country.
Conclusions: Our study confirms the lack of training regarding postoperative pain management in orthopedic surgery in the U.S., but also illuminates that this is not uniquely a U.S. problem. Our pilot data underscores the need for further research to understand the relationship between pain management training and differences in opioid abuse in the U.S. compared to populations in other countries.