Analgesic prescribing for patients discharged from an orthopaedic department: Analgesic prescribing for orthopaedic patients

Introduction: Uncontrolled postoperative pain is a major problem for functional recovery after orthopedic surgery. There is evidence that following patient discharge, moderate to severe pain is commonly reported early on and later in the postoperative period. The aim of the study was to analyze analgesic prescription habits at discharge of patients who went through surgery on the orthopedic department. The second aim was to determine if there are any disparities in the prescribed analgesics, depending on whether the operation was elective or traumatic. Methods: We performed a retrospective study including all patients who underwent surgery at the Clinic for orthopaedic surgery and traumatology over a 6 month period. The study included 371 patients. We recorded demographic data, discharge diagnoses, types of surgery and pain medications prescribed for use at home. Results: 87.9% patients received no analgesic prescriptions at all at hospital discharge. In the group of patients who have been recommended analgesics, analgesics were optionally prescribed in 3.5%, whilst NSAIDs were prescribed for 8.6% patients. No patients received paracetamol or opioid analgesics. There were no statistically significant differences in prescribed analgesics depending on whether the operation was elective or posttraumatic. Conclusion: Results of this study show that doctors in our clinical setting underestimate the importance of the necessity to manage acute postoperative pain, especially in terms of prescribing opioids when needed. These findings emphasize the need for further research, education and guidelines in this area, as well as better access to the use of opioids.