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Feedback for surgeons curbs excess opioid prescription scripts

Penn Medicine

Tailored feedback to surgeons dramatically cuts excessive opioid prescriptions for common surgeries, aligning them with evidence-based guidelines without affecting patient pain control. This approach offers a promising strategy to combat the opioid crisis by aligning prescribing practices with evidence-based guidelines, addressing the critical issue of overprescribing, where excessive opioid prescriptions can lead to harmful side effects and can lead to dependence in some patients or diversion of unused pills.

“This work moves us closer to personalized pain management,” said M. Kit Delgado, MD, MS, director of the Nudge Unit, Co-Chair of the Penn Medicine Opioid Task Force, and an associate professor of Emergency Medicine. “By right sizing opioid prescriptions based on patient needs by procedure, we’re lowering the risk of harms while ensuring patients get the care they need.”