Many medical students applying for surgical residency feel inadequately prepared to prescribe post-operative opioids

• Published in: The American journal of surgery 2020-03, Vol.219 (3), p.411-414
• Main Authors: Di Chiaro, Bianca, Sweigert, Patrick J., Patel, Purvi P., Kabaker, Adam S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accreditation; Adult; Analgesics; Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use; Attitude of Health Personnel; Clinical Competence; Core curriculum; Curricula; Curriculum; Education; Education, Medical, Undergraduate; Educational Measurement; Female; Humans; Independent study; Internship and Residency; Interviews; Laparoscopy; Learning; Male; Medical education; Medical schools; Medical students; Narcotics; Opioids; Pain; Pain management; Pain Management - standards; Pain, Postoperative - drug therapy; Pharmacology; Pharmacology - education; Population; Practice Patterns, Physicians; Prescriptions; Schools; Software; Students; Students, Medical - psychology; Surgery; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States
• ISSN: 0002-9610; 1879-1883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2019.10.024

Little is known regarding medical school curricular variability regarding safe prescribing of post-operative opioids for students entering surgical residency. Surveys were administered to general surgery residency interviewees at an accredited academic institution for 2018–2019 application season. Responses were anonymously recorded using web-based software on an electronic tablet. Descriptive statistics were evaluated using proportions and medians with interquartile range. Of 103 eligible, 90 (87.4%) interviewees participated. Although 96.7% of students reported opioid pharmacology during medical school, 35.6% reported their curriculum did not include educational material on acute pain management. While 91.1% felt their curriculum adequately covered opioid related adverse events, 34.4% felt adequately prepared to prescribe post-operative opioids to surgical patients. Students entering surgical residency from US medical schools have variable exposures to opioid related educational content and many students feel their medical education inadequately prepared them for prescribing postoperative opioids. •Students entering surgical residency from US medical schools have variable exposures to opioid related educational content.•Many students feel their medical education inadequately prepared them for prescribing postoperative opioids.•While 96.7% of students reported opioid pharmacology during medical school, 35.6% reported no acute pain management material.•Only 34.4% of students felt adequately prepared to prescribe post-operative opioids to surgical patients. In a pilot survey of 90 students applying to surgical residency from accredited US medical schools, examined exposure to opioid related educational content during medical education was examined. Students reported variable exposures and many felt inadequately prepared to prescribe postoperative opioids.