ArticleBMJ open2023
Time trends and patterns in opioid prescription use following orthopaedic surgery in Ontario, Canada, from 2004/2005 to 2017/2018: a population-based study.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors Associated With Concurrent Benzodiazepine and Opioid Use Following Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A Nationwide Cohort Study.Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety · 2026Article
- The impact of opioid prescribing guidelines on opioid dispensation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2026Review
- The Influence of Ultrasound-Guided Blocks for Shoulder and Knee Surgeries on Continued Opioid Use: A 6-Month Clinical Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Perceptions and experiences of pain management and opioid use among orthopaedic patients and health professionals: Insights from a qualitative study in a metropolitan tertiary hospital.SAGE open medicine · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesIncreased use of opioids and their associated harms have raised concerns around prescription opioid use for pain management following surgery. We examined trends and patterns of opioid prescribing following elective orthopaedic surgery.
designPopulation-based study.
settingOntario, Canada.
participantsOntario residents aged 66+ years who had elective orthopaedic surgery from April 2004 to March 2018. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Postoperative opioid use (short term: within 90 days of surgery, prolonged: within 180 days and chronic: within 1 year), specific opioids prescribed, average duration (days) and amount (morphine milligram equivalents) of the initial prescription by year of surgery.
resultsWe included 464 460 elective orthopaedic surgeries in 2004/2005-2017/2018: 80% of patients used opioids within 1 year of surgery-25.1% were chronic users. There was an 8% increase in opioid use within 1 year of surgery, from 75.1% in 2004/2005 to 80.9% in 2017/2018: a 29% increase in short-term use and a decline in prolonged (9%) and chronic (22%) use. After 2014/2015, prescribed opioid amounts initially declined sharply, while the duration of the initial prescription increased substantially. Across categories of use, there was a steady decline in coprescription of benzodiazepines and opioids.
conclusionsMost patients filled opioid prescriptions after surgery, and many continued filling prescriptions after 3 months. During a period of general increase in awareness of opioid harms and dissemination of guidelines/policies aimed at opioid prescribing for chronic pain, we found changes in prescribing practices following elective orthopaedic surgery. Findings illustrate the potential impact of guidelines/policies on shaping prescription patterns in the surgical population, even in the absence of specific guidelines for surgical prescribing.
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