Opioid Prescribing Trends in Women Following Mastectomy or Breast-Conserving Surgery Before and After the 2014 Federal Reclassification of Hydrocodone.

CONCLUSION: Surgically treated breast cancer patients are less likely to receive short- and long-term opioid prescriptions following the implementation of hydrocodone rescheduling. Further studies on the potential impact of federal policy on cancer patient pain management are needed. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Clinicians and researchers with diverse perspectives should be included as stakeholders during policy development for restricting opioid prescriptions. Stakeholders can identify potential unintended consequences early and help identify methods to mitigate concerns, specifically as it relates to policy that influences how providers manage pain for actively treated cancer patients. This work shows how federal policy may have led to declines in opioid prescribing for breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery. PMID: 31801903 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: The Oncologist - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Oncologist Source Type: research