Family Experience of Home Opioid Use After Pediatric Surgery

A systematic review examining outpatient opioid use identified only three pediatric studies published between 2015 and 2016. Of these three, two studies had a short-term follow up with patients at three days after discharge; moreover, these three studies were limited by focusing on one surgical population, restriction of data to 0-12 yr old participants, and the other being a brief report. As a result, there are no pediatric studies that have examined opioid use amongst 0-18 yr olds, across multiple surgery types, and beyond 3 days after discharge.

This study is being done to learn how long children (0-18 yrs) needed to use the prescribed opioid medication for and how families can be better prepared to provide adequate and safe pain management at home. Follow up will take place 28 days after discharge from the hospital.