Effectiveness of a discharge analgesia guideline on discharge opioid prescribing after a surgical procedure from a tertiary metropolitan hospital.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a discharge analgesia guideline on the number of days' supply of opioid analgesics provided among surgical patients upon hospital discharge. The secondary objective was to analyze the effect of this guideline on the provision of an analgesic discharge plan.

Design: A retrospective historical control cohort study.

Setting: A tertiary metropolitan hospital.

Interventions: A discharge analgesia guideline recommending the supply of opioid analgesics on discharge based on patient use in the 24 hours prior to discharge and the supply of an analgesic discharge plan.

Main outcome measure(s): The primary outcome measure was the number of days' supply of opioids. The secondary outcome measure was the proportion of patients receiving an analgesic discharge plan.

Results: There was no change in the number of days' supply of opioids provided on discharge (median, interquartile range: 5, 3-9.75 vs 6, 4-10; p = 0.107) and in the proportion of patients receiving an analgesic discharge plan (26 percent vs 22.2 percent; p = 0.604). The results of two multivariable regression models showed no change in the number of days' supply of opioids (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 1.1, 0.9-1.2) and the provision of an analgesic discharge plan (adjusted odds ratio, 95 percent CI: 0.6, 0.2-1.4) after adjusting for confounding variables.

Conclusion: Overall, our study found no change in the number of days' supply of opioids provided on discharge and the provision of an analgesic discharge plan after implementation of a discharge analgesia guideline, but we also found that prescribing practices already aligned with the guideline before its implementation.