BALTIMORE – A pain management protocol implemented in a trauma service reduced opioid intake in trauma patients while improving patient satisfaction, according to a retrospective study.
The opioid epidemic continues to grow every day, partly as a result of irresponsible overprescribing of opioid medication, according to Jessica Gross, MB BAO BCh, FACS, a trauma surgeon from Wake Forest (N.C.) Baptist Health at the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma annual meeting. Dr. Gross and her colleagues developed a pain management protocol (PMP) to provide adequate pain control while using fewer opioids in the postdischarge setting. They tested their PMP through a retrospective chart review of 498 patients admitted to the trauma service between January 2015 and December 2016, half of which were admitted before the PMP was initiated and half of which were admitted afterward.
The PMP involved a stepped approach to treating pain, with acetaminophen or ibuprofen as needed for mild pain, one 5-mg tablet of oxycodone/acetaminophen every 6 hours for moderate pain, two tablets for severe pain, and 50-100 mg of tramadol every 6 hours for breakthrough pain.
Counseling services for patients who were found to be in danger of substance use were provided in the hospital, and at discharge, patients received a weaning plan for their medication, according to Dr. Gross.
If the short-acting medications were found to be inadequate to control pain, patients were given slow-release pain medication as needed.
Average total medication, including at discharge and for refills, prescribed after PMP initiation was 1,242 morphine milligram equivalents (MME), compared with 2,421 MME prior to the protocol (P less than .0001).
After the protocol was implemented, Dr. Gross and her colleagues found the number of patients prescribed a refill dropped from 39.7% to 28.1%, with the size of those refills dropping from 1,032 MME to 213 MME on average.
“By having a comprehensive pain management protocol, we can reduce the amount of pain medications we prescribe for outpatient use, from discharge from the trauma service,” said Dr. Gross. “Additionally, we have shown that by having a protocol in place, we not only decreased the number of refills we were providing, but also the amount of pain medications that was prescribed within these refills.”
Through a Press Ganey survey analysis of patients during the month before and the month after the PMP implementation, investigators found a significant increase in patient satisfaction and overall pain management, according to Dr. Gross,
In addition, the main trauma floor where the PMP was implemented was recognized for the most improvement in overall hospital rating and pain management, compared with the previous year.
Discussant Oscar Guillamondegui MD,FACS, medical director of the trauma ICU at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., acknowledged the importance of PMPs and the work investigators presented.
“I would consider this the next generation of ERAS [enhanced recovery after surgery], or ERAT [enhanced recovery after trauma] in pain perception modification,” said Dr. Guillamondegui. “Dr. Gross and the multidisciplinary group at Wake Forest have provided compelling evidence to help alleviate [the opioid epidemic].”
In a question-and-answer session following the presentation, attendees voiced concern over how a PMP would be used among patients who are more familiar with hospital systems, in particular concerning self-reported pain levels.
“Most of us employed at acute care centers are not working in utopia. Many of our patients are heroin addicts, are very bright, and know how to identify 10 on those silly smiley faces so that they get more medicine,” said Charles Lucas, MD, FACS, professor of surgeon at Wayne State University, Detroit. Dr. Lucas also pointed out that even when patients report false levels of pain, doctors still are required to put it into the electronic medical record for fear of repercussions,
In response, Dr. Gross said doctors on the floor reviewed patients to make sure they were receiving all doses of pain medications. If doctors felt the patient’s pain regimen was adequate, despite the patient reporting otherwise, no changes were made.
Certain limitations include not being able to confirm whether patients received prescription medication elsewhere, nor any concrete data on patient satisfaction after discharge other than an inference based on fewer refills and lower refill MME.
Investigators reported no relevant financial disclosures.
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