Improving Surgical Patient Knowledge and Safe Use of Opioids

Opioids are commonly prescribed for surgical patients to treat moderate to severe pain after surgery. However, opioids can be associated with serious complications such as respiratory depression and death. Currently, it is not routine practice to educate surgical patients about the risks of opioids and how to safely use opioids after surgery. The investigators have developed an educational pamphlet specifically for surgical patients to educate them about the safe use of opioids. The objective of this pilot study is to determine the usability and readability of an educational pamphlet about the safe use, proper storage and disposal of opioids. The educational pamphlet will be modified based on the feedback from the pilot study and subsequently used for a randomized controlled trial.

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Key information

Conditions

Opioid Use

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Toronto Western Hospital

Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2S8, Canada

About this study

Twenty participants presenting to the preoperative clinic will be recruited for the pilot study. After informed consent is obtained, patients will be given an opioid knowledge questionnaire to complete before the education. They will then be given an educational pamphlet to review. After they have reviewed the educational pamphlet, they will complete the same opioid knowledge questionnaire. They will also complete a questionnaire evaluating the patient educational pamphlet. The pamphlet will be modified based on the feedback from the patients in the pilot study.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

≥18 years adults
Proficient in English
scheduled for elective surgery

Exclusion criteria

Patients who are on opioids for chronic pain
Patients have taken opioids in the past 30 days
Patients who are unable to read and understand English -

Treatment and study plan

Educational pamphlet arm

Other

Educational pamphlets will be provided to review and questionnaire will be provided to complete before and after review of the pamphlet

Primary outcomes

Opioid Education Questionnaire

Time frame: 10 - 15 minutes

Total score 0-15 with higher scores representing more knowledge

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Health Network, Toronto

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2018
Primary completion: 2019
Study completion: 2020
First posted: Aug 14, 2018
Registry last updated: Oct 28, 2021

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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Completed