Open AccessThe Effect of the Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention Act on Opiate Prescription Practices Within the Orthopaedic Surgery Department of an Academic Medical Center
Author(s) -
Fernando Aran,
Kevin Y. Wang,
Samuel Rosas,
Kerry A. Danelson,
Cynthia L. Emory
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of the american academy of orthopaedic surgeons. global research and reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.358
H-Index - 2
ISSN - 2474-7661
DOI - 10.5435/jaaosglobal-d-20-00006
Subject(s) - medical prescription , medicine , opiate , emergency department , family medicine , emergency medicine , orthopedic surgery , narcotic , opioid , prescription drug misuse , pharmacy , medical emergency , anesthesia , psychiatry , nursing , opioid use disorder , receptor
In 2017, the Department of Health and Human Service declared a public health emergency known as the opioid crisis. In North Carolina, the "Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention Act of 2017" (STOP Act) went into effect on January 1, 2018, seeking to strengthen oversight over opioid prescriptions. Among other mandates, this legislation limited the duration of the initial prescription to 5 or 7 days. The purpose of this study was to compare narcotic prescription practices within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at an academic medical center before and after the enactment of the STOP Act. We hypothesized that there would be a statistically significant decrease in the amount of postoperative opioids prescribed after the STOP Act and that this decrease would be consistent across all types of providers in the Orthopaedic Surgery Department.