The purpose of the proposed work is to test a brief opioid exposure reduction program (ACL-OERP) designed to improve health literacy about opioid use following surgeries. This intervention is specifically designed to be used with patients (or for patients under 18, the patient and caregiver) undergoing Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction, a painful surgery that is often followed by at least 7 days of opioid medication.
The goal of this study is to test whether the ACL-OERP intervention (vs. a treatment as usual \[TAU\] comparison) improves knowledge of (1) risks associated with opioid self-administration (development of tolerance, dangers of concomitant sedative use, taking as prescribed for safety), (2) expected pain following ACL reconstruction, (3) accurate pain assessment, (4) and weaning from opioid to non-narcotic analgesics. There will be one control arm (TAU) and two intervention arms, both of which are experimental. Both will receive the ACL-OERP before surgery, and the second arm will also receive a "booster" intervention session of the intervention 3 days after surgery. In addition, investigators wish to compare the amount of opioid self-administered in the intervention groups (vs. TAU comparison) to assess whether this knowledge reduces self-administration of opioid. The project will also examine whether the implementation of the booster intervention session in the third arm improves these outcomes compared to the other intervention arm.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
120
Subjects will engage in a brief, educational which includes information about the appropriate use of opioid pain medication, exposure and tolerance, the definition of misuse and opioid-related harms, how to wean off medication, alternative pain management strategies, and appropriate disposal of leftover medication.
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Total morphine milligram equivalents administered
Cumulative morphine milligram equivalents self-administered following surgery; based upon pill counts
Time frame: Assessed at 30 days post surgery
Knowledge of safe opioid use
Change in pre and post test scores of a knowledge test of topics covered in the intervention including tolerance, weaning off opioids, safe disposal methods, and alternative pain management strategies.
Time frame: Assessed at baseline and 7-days post surgery
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