Opioid prescription and consumption after hospital discharge following laparoscopic bariatric surgery

Background: In the current opioid crisis, patients undergoing bariatric surgery may be at an increased risk of harms related to opioid overconsumption due to impulse control deficits and postoperative changes in drug absorption mechanisms. Therefore, surgeons should minimize these risks while ensuring effective postoperative pain management. Previous studies have addressed patterns of opioid prescribing and consumption in other surgical populations; however, there is a lack of research focused on bariatric surgery. This knowledge gap prevents the development of evidence-based quality improvement initiatives to optimize analgesia prescribing for bariatric patients. The primary aim of this study was to assess the extent to which opioids prescribed at discharge after bariatric surgery are consumed by patients.