Split Scripts for Pediatric Supracondylar Fracture Repairs

The Hospital for Sick Children

Status: Completed

Conditions: Pain, Postoperative

Treatments: Drug: Morphine

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05372133

1000079222

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study is designed to test the hypothesis that increased electronic order-set compliance and focused education will decrease the amount of unconsumed opioid entering and remaining in the home after pediatric supracondylar fracture repair

The proposed study will address the hypothesis with the following objectives:

1. investigators will increase compliance with previously implemented standardized precision-based electronic discharge order sets;
2. investigators will introduce part-fill opioid prescriptions for supracondylar fracture repairs;
3. investigators will increase parental compliance with home administration of simple (non-opioid) analgesics;
4. investigators will decrease opioid amount remaining in the home pre and post 3-week follow up.

Full description

Canada has one of the highest opioid prescribing rates in the world (United Nations, 2018). In 2017, Health Quality Ontario published a major report that identified the number of opioid prescriptions following surgery were second only to those following dentist office visits. As a result, Health Quality Ontario made the reduction of opioid prescribing ('Cut the Count)' their number one provincial healthcare priority of 2019.

To date, investigators have decreased MME amount of opioid entering the home post-supracondylar fracture repair at approximately 10 MME per patient and increased the rate of return of unused drug by 10 MME per patient. The Hospital for Sick Children alone performs some 200 such surgeries per year, representing 4,000 mg of morphine (four grams) that the community is no longer exposed to. This is only one surgery type in one hospital; expansion of our methodology to other surgeries (currently expanding to dental and cleft palates) and other institutions will dramatically decrease unintentional but iatrogenic home exposure of children and families to unwarranted and dangerous drugs.

This latest study aims to address all three steps outlined in the 2020-2021 Health Quality Ontario surgical mandate for children discharged from The Hospital for Sick Children after supracondylar fracture repair.

Enrollment: 175 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 1 month to 18 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients with Type II or Type III supracondylar fractures undergoing surgical wire placement or pinning that return to fracture clinic at three weeks for removal of pins/wires.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients who are not prescribed morphine following a supracondylar fracture repair surgery

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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175 participants in 1 patient group

Split Script

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive four doses initially, with opportunity to obtain four additional doses if required

Treatment:

Drug: Morphine