Pain and Medication Use Following Surgery — SODAS  

Opioid Use Clinical Trial

Official title: Safe Opioid Disposal After Surgery Trial

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Patients will be randomized to one of two interventions intended to facilitate safe disposal of opioids after cessation following surgery. For pragmatic reasons, participants will be randomized by day to either the information sheet or the disposal bag using a block randomization schedule. To ensuring adequate sample size, patients will be enrolled for a ~4-week period following the 2-week usual care run in period. In the event that the sample size estimate has not been reached after the 4-week intervention period, additional patients will be enrolled accordingly.

Clinical Trial Description

The lack of evidence-based guidelines for postoperative opioid prescribing has contributed to a surplus of opioid pills within our patients' homes and communities, increasing the potential for diversion and nonmedical use. A recent study suggests that for outpatient general surgery procedures, roughly 72% of prescribed opioids go unused. Current opioid disposal options are limited to DEA-authorized opioid collectors, including select law enforcement agencies, pharmacies, or organized pill drop events, and many patients remain unaware of these avenues. Several studies have found that few patients have knowledge about opioid disposal options and even fewer dispose of their unconsumed opioids.

Unconsumed opioids pose a diversion risk. In the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 70.8% of those who used a prescription medication non-medically obtained the medication from a friend or relative, with or without their knowledge. Additionally, nonmedical prescription opioid use is a common pathway to heroin use. Importantly, over 80% of young intravenous drug users report initiation of prescription opioid misuse prior to heroin.

Considering that 40% of the prescriptions written by surgeons are for opioids and patients frequently have excess opioids and limited options for and/or knowledge of opioid disposal, the present study will provide patients with information and novel options for opioid disposal as part of the surgical care pathway. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Opioid Use

• NCT number: NCT03179566
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Michigan
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: June 6, 2017
• Completion date: September 1, 2017