In a retrospective analysis of 25,076 U.S. patients undergoing parotidectomy from 2013 to 2023, researchers found that publication of the 2021 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery opioid prescribing guidelines was associated with an immediate 7.44% reduction in postoperative opioid prescribing, with a sustained quarterly decline of 0.20%, alongside a corresponding increase in non-opioid prescribing. These findings suggest that guideline implementation was associated with durable shifts toward multimodal, non-opioid analgesia in postoperative pain management, highlighting efforts to reduce opioid exposure following head and neck surgery.

Source: OTO Open