Study shows need for balance in post-surgery opioid prescribing guidelines

To address the opioid epidemic, surgeons have embraced guidelines to reduce the number of opioid pills they prescribe to patients after surgery, and the efforts have helped to significantly reduce the number of opioids in circulation. But new research presented at the virtual American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2020 reports that these guidelines may be missing a small group of patients that need a greater level of pain control.