Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries
An erratum to this article was published (Br J Surg, 12 Jun 2024 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological and orthopaedic procedures; 144 centres in 25 countries
- Participants
- 4,273 patients · 144 centres · 25 countries
- Exposure
- Opioid vs opioid-free analgesia at discharge after surgery
- Opioidn = 1,311
- Outcome
- Patient-reported time in severe pain (NRS 0–100%) and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief
- Follow-up
- First week after discharge
Methodological detailsinternational, multicentre, multispecialty, Data collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge
- International
- Multicentre
- Multispecialty
- Data collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Opioid vs Opioid-freeRelative risk (95% CI)P value
Pain severity; adjusted for confounders
1.52(1.31–1.76)
P < 0.001- Satisfaction with analgesia; adjusted for confounders
- β coefficient 0.92 (95% CI −1.52 to 3.36); P = 0.468
- Time in severe pain, all patients (median, IQR 1-30)
- 10%
- Satisfaction with analgesia of 100, all patients (median, IQR 80-100)
- 90
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
HICs vs LMICs
- Opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and LMICs; patient-reported outcomes did not
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries. Br J Surg. Published 11 January 2024. doi:10.
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