Children and teens getting spinal surgery don’t need so many opioids, study suggests

Children and teens with scoliosis undergoing spinal fusion can be prescribed fewer opioids while still receiving adequate pain control after surgery, a new study finds. Patients receiving preoperative education on the risks of opioids and the importance of nonopioid pain management options consumed fewer opioids after surgery.

Nonopioid pain prescriptions increased after 2016 CDC guideline, study finds

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a guideline for prescribing opioids to patients experiencing chronic pain in 2016, the prescribing rate of non-opioid pain medication increased each year above and beyond what would be expected based on the preexisting trends, a new study finds. Researchers say the findings suggest more clinicians are carefully considering the risks of prescribing opioids.

Study Finds Patients Who Undergo Spine Surgery Prescribed Most Narcotics Three Months Following Surgery

As Americans have the highest opioid use rates, leading to abuse, the orthopaedic community has committed itself to studying prescription methods and patient populations to help mitigate potential addiction. A new scientific review article titled, “Ninety-day Postoperative Narcotic Use After Hospitalization for Orthopaedic Trauma,” published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS), found a correlation between patient-reported pain at discharge from inpatient surgery and the number of opioids prescribed during the 90-day postoperative period.

Patients in the U.S. and Canada are Seven Times as Likely as those in Sweden to Receive Opioids After Surgery

Patients in the United States and Canada are seven times as likely as those in Sweden to receive a prescription for opioid medications after surgery, according to a new multi-institutional study led by researchers from Penn Medicine.