Patients' Experiences With Opioid Tapering in Noncancer Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-synthesis.

Abstract

Tapering opioids is an effective strategy to reduce the risks associated with long-term opioid therapy. However, patients' experience with tapering can influence the success of this treatment. Understanding patients' experiences with opioid tapering will allow for patient-centered approaches to be adopted to tailor interventions to achieve safe and successful taper outcomes. This paper aims to synthesize qualitative data capturing patients' experiences with opioid tapering for noncancer pain. Qualitative studies in English that explored patients' experiences with opioid tapering in noncancer pain were included. MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to March 2023. Two authors independently selected the studies, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. A meta-synthesis allowed for overarching themes to be identified to form a new interpretation of the data in the context of past literature. From 5714 articles identified, 10 studies were included that met the inclusion criteria after title/abstract screening and full-text review. These studies involved 218 patients with experience tapering opioids. Three key themes guiding the new meta-synthesis were identified: (1) patient-provider interactions, (2) individualized care, and (3) tactics to manage the opioid tapering process. This review demonstrated the role that patient-provider interactions, tailored care, and effective tapering strategies play in facilitating a favorable patient experience during the opioid tapering process. Future research should incorporate the themes identified in this review to optimize the patient's taper experience.