Classifying Chronic Opioid Use Before Spine Surgery: Comparison of Self-Report and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Reporting

The opioid epidemic has been declared a public health emergency claiming ∼400,000 deaths from 1999 to 2017[1]. Studies have consistently demonstrated an association between preoperative chronic opioid use and poor patient outcomes after spine surgery[2,3]. Thus, accurate identification of preoperative opioid use is critical in risk stratification. In addition to self-r eported data, a patient's opioid use can be quantified using insurance databases, pharmacy records, medical records, and state-run prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP1)[2-5].
Source: The Spine Journal - Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Tags: Letters to the editor Source Type: research