Association between sex and perioperative opioid prescribing for total joint arthroplasty: a retrospective population-based study.

Abstract Background Scarce data exist on differential opioid prescribing between men and women in the pre-, peri-, and postoperative phases of care among patients undergoing total hip/knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA). Methods In this retrospective population-based study, Truven Health MarketScan claims data were used to establish differences between men and women in (1) opioid prescribing in the year before THA/TKA surgery, (2) the amount of opioids prescribed at discharge, and (3) chronic opioid prescribing (3–12 months after surgery). Multivariable regression models measured odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results Among 29 038 THAs (42% men) and 48 523 TKAs (52% men) men (compared with women) were less likely to receive an opioid prescription in the year before surgery (54% vs 60%, and 54% vs 60% for THA and TKA, respectively); P Conclusions We found sex-based differences in opioid prescribing across all phases of care for THA/TKA. The results highlight temporal opportunities for targeted interventions to improve outcomes after total joint arthroplasty, particularly for women, and to decrease chronic opioid prescribing.