Development of interdisciplinary strategies to prevent long term opioid use in trauma

Description

Long-term opioid use has recently been associated with many deaths as well as a substantial decrease in psychological well-being and daily functioning while significantly increasing healthcare costs. Persistent pain is an issue affecting many of the 3.5 million Canadians who sustained traumatic injuries every year. Considering the pain intensity induced by traumatic injuries and the needed surgeries to treat them, opioids are often considered as a first-line therapy in the trauma population. However, opioid use persisting beyond 3 months has been linked to negative individual and social outcomes. Alarmingly, up to 20% of trauma patients treated with opioids were shown to still use opioids a long time after their injury. Limited strategies are available to prevent opioid long-term use in the trauma population. These patients received treatments from multiple professionals, such as physicians, pharmacists, nurses and physiotherapists in hospitals, rehabilitation centers and in the community (family medicine clinics and pain clinics).

Hence, this research program aims to develop multiprofessional strategies to be integrated in trauma patients' continuum of care in order to reduce long-term opioid use while managing pain appropriately. To do so, a survey will be completed by professionals in three Canadian provinces to evaluate their perceptions with regard to their actual practices with regard to opioid prescriptions and strategies that should be implemented in the trauma population. Patient partners and healthcare professionals working in these provinces will then be met to make the final selection of strategies to be used. Finally, patient partners and clinical experts will design the preventive strategies to be implemented along trauma patients care trajectories. This program has a great potential to improve the access to care and the health of people who have sustained traumatic injuries and to reduce the social burden associated with opioid long-term use.