Samson, Jennifer;
(2024)
Opioid use after surgery in opioid naïve patients: a qualitative study.
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Background: Long-term opioid use for pain carries various risks and can greatly affect users’ quality of life. Of the UK population taking opioids for pain, excluding cancer patients, a substantial proportion started post-surgically, but did not stop taking them as they recovered from surgery. To date, no studies in the UK have explored patient’s experiences of tapering opioid medication following surgery. / Aims: The current study aimed to follow up patients three months post-surgery who were discharged with opioids for analgesia, to discover what attempts had been made to reduce/stop opioid use, and with what help or support from health care staff or informally. / Methods: Post-surgical patients discharged on opioids were emailed to invite them to participate. Forty-eight participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. The data was analysed using framework analysis. / Results: The analysis produced fifteen subthemes, arranged into four themes: relationship with opioids; balance of benefits and risks; relationship with pain; relationship with healthcare professionals and views of addiction; moral perspectives. / Conclusion: Patients’ confidence in tapering opioids effectively is influenced by various common factors, such as weighing up the effectiveness of opioids against possible consequences, fears of addiction and their confidence of the surgical process. The results offer a comprehensive insight into the strategies used by patients to taper opioids, and the beliefs that inform these strategies. This has important clinical implications for hospital and primary care staff around the information given to patients, how support is provided during hospital stay and after discharge, and the significance of the therapeutic alliance.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
| Title: | Opioid use after surgery in opioid naïve patients: a qualitative study |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2024. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10198845 |
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