Sex, Race, Insurance, and Pain: Do Patient Sociodemographics Influence Postoperative Opioid Prescriptions Among Hand Surgeons?

BACKGROUND:Social and demographic factors may influence patient treatment by physicians. This study analyzes the influence of patient sociodemographics on prescription practices among hand surgeons. METHODS:We performed a retrospective analysis of all hand surgeries (N = 5278) at a single academic medical center from January 2016 to September 2018. The average morphine milligram equivalent (MME) prescribed following each surgery was calculated and then classified by age, race, sex, type of insurance, and history of substance use or chronic pain. Multivariate linear regression was used to compare MME among groups. RESULTS:Overall, patients with a history of substance abuse were prescribed 31.2 MME more than those without ( PPPPPPPCONCLUSIONS:Numerous sociodemographic factors influenced postoperative opioid prescription among hand surgeons at our institution. These findings highlight the importance of establishing more uniform, evidence-based guidelines for postoperative pain management, which may help minimize subjectivity and prevent the overtreatment or undertreatment of pain in certain patient populations.