Airways newsletter features research on opioid disposal

MTSA’s latest issue of the Airways newsletter features a synopsis of research by MTSA graduate and Acute Surgical Pain Management Fellowship faculty member Stace Dollar, DNAP, CRNA. His research was recently published in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing and represents one of the ways MTSA’s focus on acute surgical pain management and opioid-sparing interventions supports and promotes student scholarship that helps fight the opioid crisis.

“My education at MTSA has played an important role in this research. Starting several years ago, my enrollment in the Acute Surgical Pain Management Fellowship helped set this in motion.” –Stace Dollar, DNAP, CRNA

TITLE: Compliance With Opioid Disposal Following Opioid Disposal Education in Surgical Patients: A Systematic Review

AUTHORS: Stace Dollar, DNAP, CRNA; Hallie Evans, DNP, CRNA; John M. Edwards, III, DNAP, CRNA; Jan Odom-Forren, PhD, RN, CPAN, FASPAN, FAAN; and Bill Johnson, DNAP, CRNA

SYNOPSIS: The present opioid epidemic in the United States is a significant cause for concern in healthcare. In 1995, the concept of pain was introduced as the fifth vital sign. Since then, the sales of opioids have increased dramatically, as have the number of opioid deaths. The misuse and diversion of retained opioids following surgical procedures contribute to the problem. The objective of this project was to review the latest scholarly work and evaluate the findings related to patient education and disposal of opioid medications to decrease opioid misuse and increase disposal.

The systematic search strategy included PubMed, Ovid Technologies (OVID), and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) electronic databases.

A total of four randomized controlled trials (RCTs), two quasi-experimental studies, and two quality improvement projects met the criteria for inclusion. The studies found that as many as 92% of patients had leftover unused opioids. The retention rate of opioids among surgical patients was found to be 33 to 95%. When educational material was provided about disposal, the studies found that the disposal rate was as high as 71%.

Conclusions: Patient education about opioid misuse, diversion, and disposal are essential topics that need to be addressed with patients and caregivers.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Stace Dollar, DNAP, CRNA is a faculty member for MTSA’s Acute Surgical Pain Management Fellowship and a CRNA at Baptist Health Lexington.

Hallie Evans, DNP, CRNA, is an Associate Professor at MTSA.

John M. Edwards, III, DNAP, CRNA is a faculty member for MTSA’s Acute Surgical Pain Management Fellowship and a CRNA at Baptist Health Lexington.

Jan Odom-Forren, PhD, RN, CPAN, FASPAN, FAAN, University of Kentucky College of Nursing, Lexington, KY.

Bill Johnson, DNAP, CRNA, has served as the Director of the Acute Surgical Pain Management Fellowship at MTSA.

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