5D2Do All Patients Need Opioids after Cardiac Surgery? Nope!

Cardiac surgery is well known for producing intense acute and chronic post-surgical pain. Traditionally opioids are the primary analgesic during length of stay. The recent culture shift to reduce patient exposure to the short and long-term harms related to opioid use creates opportunities to think and practice differently. The question "Are there patients that use opioids, not because they need them but because we encourage their use, make them too accessible, and don't provide alternatives?" drove this work.
Source: Pain Management Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Source Type: research