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Intestine and Lower Gastrointestinal Tract ·

Most prescribed opioids for surgery are unused by patients

A significant portion of opioids prescribed post-elective colorectal surgery remains unused, with 63% of pills going unconsumed. In a study of 344 patients, the median prescribed amount was 13 pills, yet many reported using none. Factors like younger age, higher preoperative anxiety, and the number of pills prescribed correlated with increased consumption. These findings suggest the potential for reducing opioid dependency through alternative pain management strategies.

Journal Article by Olleik G, Lapointe-Gagner M (…) Fiore JF et 19 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

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