Long-term postoperative opioid use in orthopaedic patients.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of long-term opioid use after orthopaedic surgery varies from 1.4% to 24% and has mostly been studied with prescription data, making it difficult to estimate the size and impact of the problem. This study aims to assess the prevalence and predictors of long-term postoperative opioid use in a high volume and tertiary orthopaedic centre by using online patient reported measures. METHODS: This Dutch prospective cohort study was conducted among adult patients who underwent any type of orthopaedic surgery from June to August 2021. Six months after surgery patients were invited to complete an online survey on current opioid use and patients' willingness to taper opioids. The demographics, clinical factors and preoperative opioid use were extracted from the patient file. RESULTS: In total, 607 patients (mean age 61.2 years, 63.4% female) completed the survey. Seventy-six patients (12.5%) used opioids 6 months after surgery of which 20 (3.3%) did not use opioids before surgery. The median (Q1-Q3) postoperative daily dose after 6 months was 29.9 mg (10.0-76.1) morphine equivalents. Most of them (88.2%) wanted to taper opioids. Affected body region (OR's: 6.84-12.75) and pre-operative opioid use (OR = 35.33) were significant predictors of long-term opioid use. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of long-term postoperative opioid use was 12.5%; one in thirty patients became a new long-term opioid user. Pre-operative opioid use and affected body region were predictive for long-term opioid use. These findings, together with the observation that long-term opioid users want to taper opioids, emphasize the relevance of prevention, recognition and tapering support in the perioperative setting. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II. SIGNIFICANCE: Short-term opioid use can unintentionally progress to long-term opioid use. The prevalence of long-term opioid use after orthopaedic surgery varies widely and is mostly prescription-based, making it difficult to estimate the magnitude of the problem. This study assessed long-term postoperative opioid use in a full breadth orthopaedic population using patient reported measures, making conclusions much more robust. The prevalence of long-term postoperative opioid use in this study was 12.5%.

The association between patient satisfaction with information and adherence to oral anticancer agents.

INTRODUCTION: Adherence to anticancer agents is a critical factor in achieving adequate clinical response, and became a major challenge for patients and caregivers since the increased substitution of parenteral cytostatic by oral drugs. One of the factors that influences adherence is how well informed patients are about their therapy. This study assesses the association between patient satisfaction with information about oral anticancer agents and adherence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted among patients (≥18 years) who began oral anticancer therapy. Patients satisfaction with information and adherence were assessed using validated questionnaires. Adherence was also assessed using refill data. Logistic regression was applied to assess the association between overall patient satisfaction with information and both self-reported adherence and adherence based on an MPR value of above 80%. RESULTS: In total, 124 patients were included in the study. The median (IQR) satisfaction with information was 15.0(4) on a scale of 0-17. Eighty-two percent of participants reported adherence, while the refill data demonstrated that 64.5% of patients had an adherence rate of 80% or higher. Overall satisfaction with information was not significantly associated with self-reported adherence (OR adj 0.98 [95% CI 0.85-1.15]) or refill-based adherence (OR adj 1.11 [95% CI 0.99-1.24]). CONCLUSION: The findings indicate no significant relationship between patient satisfaction with information and adherence. The population was highly satisfied with information about the oral anticancer agents, which indicates a high level of satisfaction with usual care. However, the refill data reveals that 35.5% of patients were not adherent.

[Tapering of opioid use in primary care]. / Opioïden afbouwen in de eerstelijnszorg.

Although opioids are frequently used as treatment for chronic non-cancer related pain, the long term benefits on pain intensity and physical functioning are rather limited. Prolonged use of opioids is accompanied by multiple risks and side effects. It is important to regularly evaluate the effectiveness and the possibility of tapering of an opioid therapy. Tapering opioid use may improve physical function. Structured counselling by a healthcare professional facilitates successful tapering. In most cases, it will be possible to taper opioids in a primary care setting. If the treating physician feels incompetent to manage the tapering process, referral to specialized psychiatric care or a pain specialist can be considered. We propose a tapering rate between 10-35% of the previous dose per week in the primary care setting. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions can be used to ease the tapering.