Opioid Prescribing Education in Surgical Training

Over the course of the last decade, there has been a drastic increase in the amount of opioid prescriptions. While some are for chronic pain, a large portion is related to postsurgical acute pain. In training institutions throughout the country, resident physicians are tasked with prescribing these medications. However, there is a general lack of formalized opioid and postoperative analgesia education provided to surgical residents. This can lead to an excess amount of opioids prescribed and maybe in a setting where an alternative medication could have provided the same benefit.