Background Opioid prescribing practices have been an area of interest for orthopedic surgeons in the wake of the opioid epidemic. Previous studies have investigated the effects of a multitude of patient-specific risk factors on prolonged opioid use postoperatively. However, to date, there is a lack of studies examining the effects of multiple prescribers during the perioperative period and their potential contribution to prolonged opioid use postoperatively. This study aimed to investigate if multiple unique opioid prescribers perioperatively predispose patients to prolonged opioid use following upper extremity surgery. Second, we compared opioid prescribing patterns among different medical specialties. Methodology This retrospective study was conducted at three academic institutions. Between April 30, 2018, and August 30, 2019, 634 consecutive patients who underwent one of three upper extremity procedures were included in the analysis: carpal tunnel release (CTR), basal joint arthroplasty (BJA), or distal radius fracture open reduction and internal fixation (DRF ORIF). Prescription information was collected using the state Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) online database from a period of three months preoperatively to six months postoperatively. A Google search was performed to group prescriptions by medical specialty. Dependent outcomes included whether patients filled an additional opioid prescription postoperatively and prolonged opioid use (defined as opioid use three to six months postoperatively). Results In total, 634 patients were identified, including 276 CTRs, 217 DRF ORIFs, and 141 BJAs. This consisted of 196 males (30.9%) and 438 females (69.1%) with an average age of 59.4 years (SD: 14.7 years). By six months postoperatively, 191 (30.1%) patients filled an additional opioid prescription, and 89 (14.0%) experienced prolonged opioid use. In total, 235 (37.1%) patients had more than one unique opioid prescriber during the study period (average 2.5 prescribers). Patients with more than one unique opioid prescriber were significantly more likely to have received overlapping opioid prescriptions (15.7% vs. 0.8%, p<.001), to have filled an additional opioid prescription postoperatively (63.8% vs 10.3%, p<.001), and to have experienced prolonged opioid use postoperatively (35.3% vs 1.5%, p<.001) compared to patients with only one opioid prescriber. Patients with multiple unique prescribers filled more opioid prescriptions compared to those with a single prescriber (2.8 refills vs 1.8 refills, p=.035). Within six months postoperatively, 71.4% of opioid refills were written by non-orthopedic providers. Opioid refills written by non-orthopedic prescribers were written for a significantly greater number of pills (68.4 vs. 27.9, p<.001), for a longer duration (22.2 vs. 6.2 days, p<.001), and for larger total morphine milligram equivalents per prescription (831.4 vs. 169.8, p<.001) compared to those written by orthopedic prescribers. Conclusions Patients with multiple unique opioid prescribers during the perioperative period are at a higher risk for prolonged opioid use postoperatively. Non-orthopedic providers were the highest prescribers of opioids postoperatively, and they prescribed significantly larger and longer prescriptions. Our findings highlight the value of utilizing PDMP databases to help curtail opioid overprescription and potential adverse opioid-related outcomes following upper extremity surgery.
Keywords: multiple prescribers; opioid medication; orthopedic surgery shoulder and elbow and upper extremity; perioperative pain management; prescription drug monitoring program.
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