Elective surgery fuelling chronic opioid use
Patients having orthopaedic procedures most likely to be discharged on opioids
Elective surgery is the likely catalyst for new-onset opioid dependency for an estimated 13,000 Australians a year, researchers say.
In a study of 4000 patients who were discharged from hospital on opioids post-surgery, they found that 3.9% were still using the agents more than three months later.