Publications

Opioids are routinely prescribed to manage acute postoperative pain, but changes in postoperative opioid prescribing associated with the marketing of long-acting opioids such as OxyContin have not been described in the surgical cohort.

Methods

Using a large commercial claims data set, we studied postoperative opioid prescribing after selected common surgical procedures between 1994 and 2014. For each procedure and year, we calculated the mean postoperative morphine milligram equivalents (MME) filled on the index prescription and assessed the proportion of patients who filled a high-dose prescription (≥350 MME). We reported changes in postoperative opioid prescribing over time and identified predictors of filling a high-dose postoperative opioid prescription.

Results

We identified 1,321,264 adult patients undergoing selected common surgical procedures between 1994 and 2014, of whom 80.3% filled a postoperative opioid prescription. One in five surgery patients filled a high-dose postoperative opioid prescription. Between 1994 and 2014, the mean MME filled increased by 145%, 84%, and 85% for lumbar laminectomy/laminotomy, total knee arthroplasty, and total hip arthroplasty, respectively. The procedures most likely to be associated with a high-dose opioid fill were all orthopaedic procedures (AOR 5.20 to 7.55, < 0.001 for all). Patients whose postoperative opioid prescription included a long-acting formulation had the highest odds of filling a prescription that exceeded 350 MME (AOR 32.01, 95% CI, 30.23-33.90).

Discussion

After the US introduction of long-acting opioids such as OxyContin, postoperative opioid prescribing in commercially insured patients increased in parallel with broader US opioid-prescribing trends, most notably among patients undergoing orthopaedic surgical procedures. The increase in the mean annual MME filled starting in the late 1990s was driven in part by the higher proportion of long-acting opioid formulations on the index postoperative opioid prescription filled by orthopaedic surgery patients.

This article draws on investigations by its authors, and from American and Italian interventions to provide recommendations for decreasing social isolation in older adults for policy makers, researchers, and other professionals committed to supporting the improved social integration of older adults. The article argues that to mitigate social isolation it is critical to foster a sense of belonging (personal involvement in a system or environment so people feel they are an integral part of that system or environment). Suggestions are provided on how to leverage systematic interventions to foster isolated older adults' sense of belonging to their communities.