Surgical Patient Knowledge and Safe Use of Opioids

University Health Network, Toronto

Status: Completed

Conditions: Opioid Use

Treatments: Other: Educational

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03959787

Version 15-April-2019

Details and patient eligibility

About

Opioids are commonly prescribed for surgical patients to treat moderate to severe pain after surgery. However, opioids can be associated with serious complications such as respiratory depression and death. Currently, it is not routine practice to provide standardized written materials to surgical patients about the risks of opioids and how to safely use opioids after surgery. Investigator has developed an educational pamphlet specifically for surgical patients to educate them about the safe use of opioids.

The objective of this study is to determine whether the pamphlet increases surgical patients' knowledge about the safe use, proper storage and disposal of opioids.

Full description

Participants presenting to the preoperative clinic will be recruited for this trial. After informed consent is obtained, patients will be randomized to one of 2 groups: 1) educational pamphlet and standard care, or 2) control group - standard care (no pamphlet) All patients will complete the opioid knowledge questionnaire to test baseline knowledge on opioids. If patient is randomized to the educational pamphlet and standard care, patient will receive the educational pamphlet and standard care. After the patient reviews the pamphlet, the patient will complete the questionnaire again. If the patient is randomized to the control group, the patient will receive the usual standard of care.

All patients will be contacted by telephone 15 days and 30 days after surgery to conduct the follow-up.

Enrollment: 100 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• All English speaking
• Adult (≥18 yrs) surgical patients presenting to the Preoperative Clinic

Exclusion criteria

• Patients who are on opioids for chronic pain
• Patients have taken opioids in the past 30 days
• Patients who are unable to read and understand English

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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100 participants in 2 patient groups

Educational pamphlet and standard care

Experimental group

Description:

patients randomized to the educational pamphlet arm will receive the educational pamphlet

Treatment:

Other: Educational

control group - standard care

No Intervention group

Description:

Patients randomized to control arm, will receive the standard care.