Most Americans will have at least one surgery in their life and potentially be prescribed opioids for postsurgical pain management, and 6-10% of surgical patients will continue to use opioids months after a surgery. On average, 9.7 million Americans a year misuse opioids, and 19.7 million will be diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
The Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network (OPEN) has taken part in multiple studies to overcome barriers to identifying the level of risk for using substances for patients having surgery and providing them with the best care before, during and after they have surgery. Among the several barriers that exist, patients do not always perceive how disclosure of risky use may impact and improve their perioperative care and pain management.