Preoperative education on pain self-management and opioid consumption does not significantly impact opioid use and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty: results of a prospective randomized controlled trial

Background: Prescription rates for opioid medications following orthopedic surgical procedures including shoulder arthroplasty continue to be high. In addition, only a small percentage of patients dispose of remaining opioid pills safely. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of preoper...

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Main Authors: Maria F. Bozoghlian, MD, Brady Wilkinson, MD, Katherine Hadlandsmyth, PhD, Natalie Glass, PhD, James V. Nepola, MD, Brendan M. Patterson, MD, MPH
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:JSES International
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666638325000921
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author Maria F. Bozoghlian, MD
Brady Wilkinson, MD
Katherine Hadlandsmyth, PhD
Natalie Glass, PhD
James V. Nepola, MD
Brendan M. Patterson, MD, MPH
author_facet Maria F. Bozoghlian, MD
Brady Wilkinson, MD
Katherine Hadlandsmyth, PhD
Natalie Glass, PhD
James V. Nepola, MD
Brendan M. Patterson, MD, MPH
author_sort Maria F. Bozoghlian, MD
collection DOAJ
description Background: Prescription rates for opioid medications following orthopedic surgical procedures including shoulder arthroplasty continue to be high. In addition, only a small percentage of patients dispose of remaining opioid pills safely. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of preoperative education intervention on pain self-management, opioid consumption, and opioid disposal following shoulder arthroplasty. Methods: A single-blinded prospective randomized trial was performed with subjects randomized to an education arm or a control arm and blinded to randomization status. The control group followed preoperative standard of care practices. The education group watched an educational video and received written educational material, focusing on pain self-management as well as responsible opioid use and disposal practices. Subjects in the education group were also provided with a prepaid and preaddressed envelope for opioid disposal. The primary outcome was the difference between groups in the proportion of patients who had 10 or more unused opioid pills remaining following surgery. The secondary outcome, opioid disposal rate, was also compared between groups. Comparisons were made using chi-square tests. Results: A total of 127 participants were included for analysis. There were no significant differences between groups in age, body mass index, sex, smoking status, or type of procedure (anatomic vs. reverse shoulder arthroplasty) (all P > .05). There was no significant difference in median opioid consumption with or without preoperative education (15 pills vs. 21 pills, respectively, P = .7). There was no significant difference between education and control groups in proportion of patients with ≥10 unused pills (73% vs. 78%, P = .569). There was no difference in the rate of opioid disposal between education and control groups (37% vs. 31%, respectively, P = .5). However, when stratified by age, participants <70 years had significantly higher rates of disposal of unused opioids (49%) compared with those >70 years (29%, P = .041). Discussion: Preoperative education and standardized disposal methods did not significantly impact opioid consumption and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty. Given the lack of significant impact of preoperative education on opioid consumption, this study highlights the need to consider other interventions in the postoperative setting that could be more beneficial in aiding with decreased opioid consumption and in promoting opioid disposal. Furthermore, these results can help surgeons avoid overprescribing and can inform surgeons on which patients are more likely to dispose of unused opioids following surgery.
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spelling doaj-art-a8d556beaf2d49d1bd1af5ef30fac8752025-08-20T03:50:22ZengElsevierJSES International2666-63832025-07-01941274128110.1016/j.jseint.2025.03.010Preoperative education on pain self-management and opioid consumption does not significantly impact opioid use and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty: results of a prospective randomized controlled trialMaria F. Bozoghlian, MD0Brady Wilkinson, MD1Katherine Hadlandsmyth, PhD2Natalie Glass, PhD3James V. Nepola, MD4Brendan M. Patterson, MD, MPH5Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USADepartment of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USADepartment of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USADepartment of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USADepartment of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USADepartment of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Corresponding author: Brendan M. Patterson, MD, MPH, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa Health Care, 200 Hawkins Drive, 01071 JPP, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.Background: Prescription rates for opioid medications following orthopedic surgical procedures including shoulder arthroplasty continue to be high. In addition, only a small percentage of patients dispose of remaining opioid pills safely. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of preoperative education intervention on pain self-management, opioid consumption, and opioid disposal following shoulder arthroplasty. Methods: A single-blinded prospective randomized trial was performed with subjects randomized to an education arm or a control arm and blinded to randomization status. The control group followed preoperative standard of care practices. The education group watched an educational video and received written educational material, focusing on pain self-management as well as responsible opioid use and disposal practices. Subjects in the education group were also provided with a prepaid and preaddressed envelope for opioid disposal. The primary outcome was the difference between groups in the proportion of patients who had 10 or more unused opioid pills remaining following surgery. The secondary outcome, opioid disposal rate, was also compared between groups. Comparisons were made using chi-square tests. Results: A total of 127 participants were included for analysis. There were no significant differences between groups in age, body mass index, sex, smoking status, or type of procedure (anatomic vs. reverse shoulder arthroplasty) (all P > .05). There was no significant difference in median opioid consumption with or without preoperative education (15 pills vs. 21 pills, respectively, P = .7). There was no significant difference between education and control groups in proportion of patients with ≥10 unused pills (73% vs. 78%, P = .569). There was no difference in the rate of opioid disposal between education and control groups (37% vs. 31%, respectively, P = .5). However, when stratified by age, participants <70 years had significantly higher rates of disposal of unused opioids (49%) compared with those >70 years (29%, P = .041). Discussion: Preoperative education and standardized disposal methods did not significantly impact opioid consumption and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty. Given the lack of significant impact of preoperative education on opioid consumption, this study highlights the need to consider other interventions in the postoperative setting that could be more beneficial in aiding with decreased opioid consumption and in promoting opioid disposal. Furthermore, these results can help surgeons avoid overprescribing and can inform surgeons on which patients are more likely to dispose of unused opioids following surgery.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666638325000921Shoulder arthroplastyOpioidsPostoperative painPatient educationOpioid consumptionOpioid disposal
spellingShingle Maria F. Bozoghlian, MD
Brady Wilkinson, MD
Katherine Hadlandsmyth, PhD
Natalie Glass, PhD
James V. Nepola, MD
Brendan M. Patterson, MD, MPH
Preoperative education on pain self-management and opioid consumption does not significantly impact opioid use and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty: results of a prospective randomized controlled trial
JSES International
Shoulder arthroplasty
Opioids
Postoperative pain
Patient education
Opioid consumption
Opioid disposal
title Preoperative education on pain self-management and opioid consumption does not significantly impact opioid use and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty: results of a prospective randomized controlled trial
title_full Preoperative education on pain self-management and opioid consumption does not significantly impact opioid use and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty: results of a prospective randomized controlled trial
title_fullStr Preoperative education on pain self-management and opioid consumption does not significantly impact opioid use and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty: results of a prospective randomized controlled trial
title_full_unstemmed Preoperative education on pain self-management and opioid consumption does not significantly impact opioid use and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty: results of a prospective randomized controlled trial
title_short Preoperative education on pain self-management and opioid consumption does not significantly impact opioid use and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty: results of a prospective randomized controlled trial
title_sort preoperative education on pain self management and opioid consumption does not significantly impact opioid use and disposal following shoulder arthroplasty results of a prospective randomized controlled trial
topic Shoulder arthroplasty
Opioids
Postoperative pain
Patient education
Opioid consumption
Opioid disposal
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666638325000921
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