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Topics
- Antibiotics (4)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (2)
- Cancer (2)
- Cancer: Breast Cancer (2)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- Chronic Conditions (1)
- Dental and Oral Health (1)
- Elderly (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (1)
- Healthcare Utilization (1)
- (-) Medication (15)
- Medication: Safety (1)
- Opioids (10)
- Orthopedics (1)
- Pain (6)
- (-) Practice Patterns (15)
- Prevention (1)
- Provider: Physician (2)
- Respiratory Conditions (1)
- Risk (1)
- Substance Abuse (4)
- (-) Surgery (15)
- Women (1)
AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 15 of 15 Research Studies DisplayedSun EC, Rishel CA, Waljee JF
Association between state limits on opioid prescribing and the incidence of persistent postoperative opioid use among surgical patients.
The objective of this study was to examine whether laws limiting opioid prescribing were associated with reductions in the incidence of persistent postoperative opioid use. Over identified 950,000 privately insured patients who had undergone one of 10 procedures were identified; researchers then estimated the association between persistent postoperative opioid use and whether state opioid prescribing limits were in effect on the day of surgery. The findings suggested that laws limiting opioid prescriptions were not associated with subsequent reductions in persistent postoperative opioid use.
AHRQ-funded; HS026753.
Citation: Sun EC, Rishel CA, Waljee JF .
Association between state limits on opioid prescribing and the incidence of persistent postoperative opioid use among surgical patients.
Ann Surg 2023 Apr;277(4):e759-e65. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000005283.
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Surgery, Substance Abuse, Practice Patterns
Varady NH, Worsham CM, Chen AF
Inappropriate prescribing of opioids for patients undergoing surgery.
This study examined inappropriate prescribing of opioids for patients undergoing surgery, in this instance prescribing them to a patient’s spouse. Among 450,125 opioid-naïve couples with commercial insurance studied, for patients who did not fill perioperative opioid prescriptions themselves, the rate of spousal fills on the day of surgery (DOS) was 2.39 fills per 1,000 surgeries compared with 0.44 fills on all other perioperative days. Increases in spousal fills were not present for patients that filled opioid prescriptions themselves.
AHRQ-funded; HS026753.
Citation: Varady NH, Worsham CM, Chen AF .
Inappropriate prescribing of opioids for patients undergoing surgery.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022 Dec 6;119(49):e2210226119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2210226119..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Surgery, Practice Patterns, Provider: Physician
Bongiovanni T, Gan S, Finlayson E
Prolonged use of newly prescribed gabapentin after surgery.
This study investigated postoperative prolonged gabapentin use in adults 65 years and older. The authors merged a 20% sample of Medicare Carrier, MedPAR, and Outpatient Files with Part D for 2013-2018. They defined new postoperative gabapentin as fills for 7 days before surgery until 7 days after discharge. Overall, 3% of all eligible patients (n = 17,970) had a new prescription for gabapentin postsurgery. Out of those, the mean age was 73 years old and 62% were female. The most common surgeries that gabapentin was prescribed for was total knee (45%) and total hip (21%) replacements. Prolonged use occurred in 22% of patients, with women, non-White, those with concurrent prolonged opioid use, and patients having undergone emergency surgery more likely to have prolonged use.
Citation: Bongiovanni T, Gan S, Finlayson E .
Prolonged use of newly prescribed gabapentin after surgery.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2022 Dec;70(12):3560-69. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18005..
Keywords: Medication, Surgery, Pain, Elderly, Practice Patterns
Warren DK, Peacock KM, Nickel KB
Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics following mastectomy with and without breast reconstruction.
The authors investigated factors associated with post-discharge prophylactic antibiotic use after mastectomy with and without immediate reconstruction and the impact on surgical-site infection (SSI). They found that anti-methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus antibiotics were associated with decreased risk of SSI for patients who had mastectomy only and those who had mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. They concluded that the high numbers needed to treat suggest that potential benefits of post-discharge antibiotics should be weighed against potential harms associated with antibiotic overuse.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Warren DK, Peacock KM, Nickel KB .
Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics following mastectomy with and without breast reconstruction.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2022 Oct;43(10):1382-88. doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.400..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Medication, Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Prevention, Women, Practice Patterns
Khouja T, Polk DE, Suda KJ
Opioid prescribing by oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the United States, 2016-2019.
The objective of this study was to describe opioid prescribing trends among oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMFS). The IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Dataset, 2016-2019, was used to identify prescriptions written by OMFS. The results indicated that while OMFS-prescribed hydrocodone and oxycodone decreased in most states, 12 percent of states showed increases. Tramadol and codeine prescriptions also increased. From these findings, the authors concluded that targeted interventions are warranted in some areas.
AHRQ-funded; HS025177.
Citation: Khouja T, Polk DE, Suda KJ .
Opioid prescribing by oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the United States, 2016-2019.
J Public Health Dent 2022 Sep;82(4):491-94. doi: 10.1111/jphd.12544..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Practice Patterns, Orthopedics, Surgery, Dental and Oral Health, Provider: Physician
Olsen MA, Greenberg JK, Peacock K
Lack of association of post-discharge prophylactic antibiotics with decreased risk of surgical site infection following spinal fusion.
This study’s objective was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with post-discharge prophylactic antibiotic use after spinal fusion and whether use was associated with decreased risk of surgical site infection (SSI). The study cohort included persons aged 10-64 years undergoing 156,446 spinal fusion procedures between January 2010 and July 2015. Excluded patients included complicated cases and those coded for infection from 30 days before to 2 days after surgical admission. Outpatient oral antibiotic prescriptions were identified within 2 days of surgical discharge. ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes were used to identify SSI within 90 days of surgery. Post-discharge prophylactic antibiotics were used in 9223 surgeries. SSIs occurred after 2557 procedures (1.6%). Factors significantly associated with post-discharge antibiotic use included history of lymphoma, diabetes, 3-7 versus 1-2 vertebral levels fused, and non-infectious postoperative complications. Analysis showed antibiotic use was not associated with decreased SSI risk after spinal fusion.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455; HS027075.
Citation: Olsen MA, Greenberg JK, Peacock K .
Lack of association of post-discharge prophylactic antibiotics with decreased risk of surgical site infection following spinal fusion.
J Antimicrob Chemother 2022 Mar 31;77(4):1178-84. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkab475..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Surgery, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Practice Patterns
Eyrich NW, Sloss KR, Howard RA
Opioid prescribing exceeds consumption following common surgical oncology procedures.
Researchers aimed to compare opioid prescribing to opioid consumption for common surgical oncology procedures. They found that the median quantity of opioid prescribed was significantly larger than consumed following breast biopsy, lumpectomy, and mastectomy or wide local excision. The majority of patients reported receiving education on taking opioids, but only 27% received instructions on proper disposal; 82% of prescriptions filled resulted in unused opioids, and only 11% of these patients safely disposed of them. They concluded that their study demonstrated that opioid prescribing exceeds consumption following common surgical oncology procedures, thus indicating the potential for reductions in prescribing.
AHRQ-funded; HS023313.
Citation: Eyrich NW, Sloss KR, Howard RA .
Opioid prescribing exceeds consumption following common surgical oncology procedures.
J Surg Oncol 2021 Jan;123(1):352-56. doi: 10.1002/jso.26272..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Surgery, Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Practice Patterns, Pain
Coleman DT, Stone CA, Wei WQ
Penicillin allergy labels drive perioperative prophylactic antibiotic selection in orthopedic procedures.
This retrospective chart review was conducted to study prophylactic antibiotic selection in patients with penicillin allergy labels (PALs) during and after orthopedic surgical procedures. Generally, PALs are associated with surgical site infections (SSIs). Most orthopedic surgeries use a first-generation cephalosporin such as cefazolin due to decreased costs and lower SSI rates. PAL surgical patients more often receive vancomycin and clindamycin over cefazolin for concern of penicillin and cephalosporin cross-reactivity. This study used iterative natural language processing (NLP) and manual chart review to examine Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s deidentified patient data. Perioperative antibiotic selection data were available to review for 9300 surgeries, of whom 1412 (15.2%) were patients with PALs. Surgeries in patients with PALs used cefazolin less frequently than patients without PALs, and were more frequently prescribed clindamycin. PALs patients were more frequently female and white. The first pull with NLP found a much larger number of cases where non-PAL patients used clindamycin than expected. However, after manual chart review, 550 of these cases were found to be patients with PALS who had PAL free-text inputs missed by their initial NLP protocol.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Coleman DT, Stone CA, Wei WQ .
Penicillin allergy labels drive perioperative prophylactic antibiotic selection in orthopedic procedures.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 Nov-Dec;8(10):3634-36e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2020.07.007..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Surgery, Practice Patterns
Malone SM, Seigel NS, Newland JG
Understanding antibiotic prophylaxis prescribing in pediatric surgical specialties.
The objective of this study was to understand the factors that contribute to pediatric surgeons' decisions regarding the use of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis. The investigators found that surgeons described a complex set of factors that impacted their antibiotic prescribing in pediatric surgical cases. They reported initial, but not ongoing, training and a use of individual weight of risk and benefit as a major dictator of prescribing practices.
AHRQ-funded; HS026742.
Citation: Malone SM, Seigel NS, Newland JG .
Understanding antibiotic prophylaxis prescribing in pediatric surgical specialties.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2020 Jun;41(6):666-71. doi: 10.1017/ice.2020.71..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Antibiotics, Surgery, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Medication, Practice Patterns
Newberry CI, Casazza GC, Pruitt LC
Prescription patterns and opioid usage in sinonasal surgery.
The goal of this study was to identify factors associated with variable opioid usage and to delineate optimal prescription patterns for sinonasal surgery. The researchers found that patients used 9.3% of their full prescription and only 2.6% required a refill. The amount used was not associated with complexity of endoscopic sinus surgery, type of opiate prescribed, gender, distance living from hospital, or current opioid usage before surgery. They concluded that opioids are overprescribed after sinonasal surgery and that the amount of postoperative opiate prescribed should be greatly reduced and may be based on the specific procedures performed.
AHRQ-funded; HS024638.
Citation: Newberry CI, Casazza GC, Pruitt LC .
Prescription patterns and opioid usage in sinonasal surgery.
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2020 Mar;10(3):381-87. doi: 10.1002/alr.22478..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Pain, Surgery, Respiratory Conditions, Healthcare Utilization, Practice Patterns, Substance Abuse
De Roo AC, Vu JV, Regenbogen SE
Statewide utilization of multimodal analgesia and length of stay after colectomy.
This study examined statewide utilization of multimodal analgesia after colectomy. Multimodal analgesia shortens length of stay and hastens recovery. The researchers conducted a statewide, 72-hospital collaborative quality initiative and evaluated postoperative analgesia regimens among adult elective colectomy patients between 2012 and 2015. One-third of patients received opioids alone, and 2.8% received one nonopioid pain medication alone. The researchers suggest that these numbers must be improved particularly with the current opioid crisis.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: De Roo AC, Vu JV, Regenbogen SE .
Statewide utilization of multimodal analgesia and length of stay after colectomy.
J Surg Res 2020 Mar;247:264-70. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2019.10.014..
Keywords: Surgery, Opioids, Medication, Medication: Safety, Practice Patterns, Pain
Tam CA, Dauw CA, Ghani KR
New persistent opioid use after outpatient ureteroscopy for upper tract stone treatment.
The purpose of this study was to measure the incidence of persistent opioid use following ureteroscopy (URS). Over 100 Americans die every day from opioid overdose. Recent studies suggest that many opioid addictions surface after surgery. The investigators concluded that nearly 1 in 16 opioid-naive patients developed new persistent opioid use after URS. New persistent opioid use was associated with the amount of opioid prescribed at the time of URS. The authors suggest that, given these findings, urologists should re-evaluate their post-URS opioid prescribing patterns.
AHRQ-funded; HS024525; HS024728.
Citation: Tam CA, Dauw CA, Ghani KR .
New persistent opioid use after outpatient ureteroscopy for upper tract stone treatment.
Urology 2019 Dec;134:103-08. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2019.08.042..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Substance Abuse, Surgery, Practice Patterns
Dy CJ, Peacock K, Olsen MA
Frequency and risk factors for prolonged opioid prescriptions after surgery for brachial plexus injury.
This study examined risk of prolonged opioid prescription use after surgery for brachial plexus injury (BPI). A cohort of BPI surgery patients was compared to a control group of non-BPI patients, matching for age, sex, and year. Pharmacy claims for prescriptions filled for opioids and neuropathic pain methods were examined 1 year before surgery to 180 days after surgery. The primary outcome studied was prolonged opioid prescription, which is defined as receiving a prescription 90 to 180 days after the surgery or randomly selected date of service for controls. Among BPI patients, a subgroup analysis was also performed on opioid-naïve patients between 30 days to 1 year before surgery. Among BPI surgery patients, 27.7% had prolonged opioid prescriptions, but only 10.8% of opioid-naïve patients had prolonged opioid prescriptions. The rate for controls was 0.11%. The rates of prolonged opioid prescriptions for BPI patients was higher than previous estimates among other surgical patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Dy CJ, Peacock K, Olsen MA .
Frequency and risk factors for prolonged opioid prescriptions after surgery for brachial plexus injury.
J Hand Surg Am 2019 Aug;44(8):662-68.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2019.04.001..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Surgery, Pain, Practice Patterns, Risk, Chronic Conditions
Sekhri S, Arora NS, Cottrell H
Probability of opioid prescription refilling after surgery: does initial prescription dose matter?
In this study, the investigators sought to determine the correlation between the probability of postoperative opioid prescription refills and the amount of opioid prescribed, hypothesizing that a greater initial prescription yields a lower probability of refill. The investigators concluded that the probability of refilling prescription opioids after surgery was not correlated with initial prescription strength, suggesting surgeons could prescribe smaller prescriptions without influencing refill requests.
AHRQ-funded; HS023313.
Citation: Sekhri S, Arora NS, Cottrell H .
Probability of opioid prescription refilling after surgery: does initial prescription dose matter?
Ann Surg 2018 Aug;268(2):271-76. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000002308..
Keywords: Medication, Opioids, Pain, Practice Patterns, Substance Abuse, Surgery
Lee JS, Parashar V, Miller JB
Opioid prescribing after curative-intent surgery: a qualitative study using the theoretical domains framework.
To identify targets for intervention, researchers performed a qualitative study of opioid prescribing after curative-intent surgery using the Theoretical Domains Framework, a well-established implementation science method for identifying factors influencing healthcare provider behavior. They concluded that key determinants of opioid prescribing behavior after curative-intent surgery include environmental and social factors. Interventions targeting these factors are likely to improve opioid prescribing in surgical oncology.
AHRQ-funded; HS023313.
Citation: Lee JS, Parashar V, Miller JB .
Opioid prescribing after curative-intent surgery: a qualitative study using the theoretical domains framework.
Ann Surg Oncol 2018 Jul;25(7):1843-51. doi: 10.1245/s10434-018-6466-x.
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Keywords: Medication, Opioids, Practice Patterns, Surgery