Half of patients take five or fewer tablets in the 2 weeks after leaving the emergency department for a new pain condition, data suggest.
Smaller, cause-specific opioid prescriptions after emergency department visits for acute pain could provide adequate pain management and reduce the risk of misuse of unused opioid pills, according to new research.
Daoust and colleagues from the Network of Canadian Emergency Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study at seven emergency departments in Ontario and Quebec to understand the optimal quantity of prescription opioids required to control pain after certain emergency department visits for acute pain. They also wanted to determine the quantity of unused opioids available for misuse and how to reduce it.
Participants completed a 14-day electronic pain medication diary that asked about the quantities, doses, and names of analgesics, including over-the-counter medications. In phone interviews, participants discussed whether they filled their initial prescriptions, how many pills they took, and if they filled any new prescriptions.
In general, opioid consumption was low, and half of patients took fewer than five tablets. However, opioid consumption varied significantly by the type of pain condition, ranging from a median of two tablets for renal colic or abdominal pain to eight tablets for back pain and nine tablets for fractures. Patients with fractures or back pain were more likely to fill additional opioid prescriptions.
"Ideally, additional studies would confirm our data in more diverse populations, eventually informing a more evidence-driven approach to acute prescribing limits," she said.
Pain Management Pain Abdominal Pain Back Pain Neck Pain Acute Pain Overuse Injury Repetitive Strain Injury Cumulative Trauma Disorder Occupational Overuse Syndrome WRULD - Work Related Upper Limb Disorder WRULD Addiction Canada Canadian Renal Colic Fractures Colic Syndrome Infant Colic Baby Colic Three Month Colic Infantile Colic Kidney Stones Nephrolithiasis Renal Calculus
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