Mailed kits are a potential low-cost, scalable solution, the authors say<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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TUESDAY, May 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Mailed at-home disposal kits increase self-reported opioid disposal rates after common surgical procedures, according to a research letter published online May 6 in JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Anish K. Agarwal, M.D., from University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues assessed the effect of a mailed at-home disposal kit on disposal rates of unused opioids after surgery. Analysis included 302 adults undergoing an orthopedic or urologic procedure and prescribed an opioid who replied through a text messaging platform. The patients were randomly assigned to a mailed at-home disposal kit or usual care with a text message hyperlink to nearby disposal locations.<\/p>\n The researchers found that participants were more likely than nonparticipants to be opioid naive (74.5 versus 63.4 percent).The intervention group had double the odds of self-reported disposal versus the usual care group. Among the participants who completed all questions, 42.7 percent in the usual care group self-reported disposal, compared with 60.0 percent in the intervention group. The intervention group disposed of an estimated additional 480 unused opioid tablets.<\/p>\n “Opioid disposal remains important, but motivating disposal remains challenging,” the authors write. “The demonstrated impact has high potential for a low-cost solution. The process of mailing the disposal kit is simple, inexpensive (approximately $1.50 per mailed kit), and scalable.”<\/p>\n