Prevalence and predictors of opioid use before orthopaedic surgery in an Australian setting: A multicentre, cross-sectional, observational study
Publication Details
Liu, S.,
Stevens, J.,
Collins, A.,
Duff, J.,
Sutherland, J.,
Oddie, M.,
Naylor, J.,
Patanwala, A.,
Suckling, B.,
&
Penm, J.
(2023).
Prevalence and predictors of opioid use before orthopaedic surgery in an Australian setting: A multicentre, cross-sectional, observational study.
Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, 51 (5), 331-339.
Abstract
Opioid analgesics are commonly used by patients awaiting orthopaedic surgery, and preoperative opioid use is associated with a greater burden of postoperative pain, suboptimal surgical outcomes and higher healthcare costs. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of total opioid use before elective orthopaedic surgery with a focus on regional and rural hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. This was a cross-sectional, observational study of patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery conducted between April 2017 and November 2019 across five hospitals that included a mix of metropolitan, regional, rural, private and public settings. Preoperative patient demographics, pain scores and analgesic use were collected during pre-admission clinic visits, held between two and six weeks before surgery. Of the 430 patients included, 229 (53.3%) were women and the mean age was 67.5 (standard deviation 10.1) years. The overall prevalence of total preoperative opioid use was 37.7% (162/430). Rates of preoperative opioid use ranged from 20.6% (13/63) at a metropolitan hospital to 48.8% (21/43) at an inner regional hospital. Multivariable logistic regression showed that the inner regional setting was a significant predictor of opioid use before orthopaedic surgery (adjusted odds ratio 2.6; 95% confidence interval 1.0 to 6.7) after adjusting for covariates. Opioid use prior to orthopaedic surgery is common and appears to vary by geographical location.
Keywords
Opioids, preoperative opioid use, orthopaedic surgery
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