Minor Surgical Procedures, Narcotics Use, Pain, Postoperative
Conditions
Brief summary
This study evaluates the effect of larger or smaller opioid prescriptions following minor surgery on the amount of narcotic used, patient reported satisfaction, refill requests, and leftover narcotic.
Detailed description
Patients are randomized to receive prescriptions for either 10 or 30 tabs of 5 mg hydrocodone/325 mg acetaminophen following minor hand surgery. Patients are allowed to request additional medication as needed. Patients are contacted by phone 10-14 days after their surgery to answer a questionnaire regarding number of pills taken, number of refills requested, number of remaining pills, their satisfaction with their pain control and their surgery, and their opinion regarding the appropriateness of the prescription size.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALInitial prescription for 10 narcotic tabs
Reduced number of pills in initial prescription post-operatively
BEHAVIORALInital prescription for 30 narcotic tabs
Sponsors
Carilion Clinic
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* patients undergoing minor hand surgery by a participating surgeon within the study period
Exclusion criteria
* narcotic use within previous 3 months * concurrent procedure * acute trauma * pregnancy * allergy or other contraindication or intolerance to hydrocodone or acetaminophen * post-operative complications * inability to provide personal consent to the procedure or the research
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Narcotic used | 10-14 days post-op | number of narcotic tabs taken by patient (5mg hydrocodone/325 mg acetaminophen) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Opinion Regarding Appropriateness of Size of Initial Prescription | 10-14 days post-op | — |
| Number of refills requested | 10-14 days post-op | number of times patient requested additional pain medication |
| Patient reported satisfaction with overall surgical experience | 10-14 days post-op | — |
| Patient reported efficacy of pain control | 10-14 days post-op | — |
| Patient reported satisfaction with pain control | 10-14 days post-op | — |
| Number of left over tabs | 10-14 days post-op | Number of left over usable narcotic tabs remaining in patient possession |
Outcome results
None listed