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SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days

Classification

Empirical Graduate

Abstract

The development of persistent opioid use disorder after surgery is a preventable complication. The need for opioid medications after total joint replacement surgery is necessary for a favorable recovery and optimal functional outcomes. Traditionally patients get a single postoperative phone call after discharge from the hospital. This phone call does not provide adequate support to patients about postoperative pain medication tapering and cessation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if sending interval text messages to joint replacement patients after discharge would help them discontinue opioid medications sooner. One hundred and thirty-seven patients (69 in the control group and 68 in the experimental group) participated in a quasi-experimental after only study to compare the effectiveness of text messaging on opioid use in patients undergoing total knee and total hip arthroplasty. There were no significant differences in the demographic characteristics of the two groups. The z test for the Difference of Two Proportions was used to evaluate the outcomes of the study. The results found that patients that received the text messages in the experimental group stopped using opioid medications sooner than those patients in the control group at the 30-day and 60-day postoperative interval. The was no significant difference found at 90 days after surgery between the two groups. Utilization of text messaging platforms can improve the tapering and cessation of opioid medications in the early postoperative period in patients undergoing total hip and total knee arthroplasty. This project can be used as support for clinicians considering engaging patients through technology to improve postoperative outcomes.

Department/Program

Nursing

Submission Type

online only poster

Date

4-22-2020

Rights

Copyright the Author(s)

Comments

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