BACKGROUND-The feasibility of reducing the population-level incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection by increasing community coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and male circumcision is unknown.METHODS-We conducted a pair-matched, community-randomized trial in 30 rural or periurban communities in Botswana from 2013 to 2018. Participants in 15 villages in the intervention group received HIV testing and counseling, linkage to care, ART (started at a higher CD4 count than in standard care), and increased access to male circumcision services. The standard-care group also consisted of 15 villages. Universal ART became available in both groups in mid-2016. We enrolled a random sample of participants from approximately 20% of households in each community and measured the incidence of HIV infection through testing performed approximately once per year. The prespecified primary analysis was a permutation test of HIV incidence ratios.
Background:
Opioid overprescribing is a nationwide problem contributing to the current epidemic. This study evaluated opioid consumption, physician prescribing, and patient satisfaction with pain control following outpatient plastic surgery procedures.
Methods:
Patients completed a questionnaire during their first postoperative visit. The authors queried about procedure type, quantity of opioids prescribed and consumed, days to opioid cessation, prescription refills, pain scores, use of nonopioid analgesics, and satisfaction with pain control.
Results:
One hundred seventy patients were included. On average, 26 tablets were prescribed and 13 were consumed. Eighty percent of patients stopped opioids by postoperative day 5. Patients rated their worst pain at 6.1 and follow-up pain at 1.9. Approximately 50 percent of patients consumed nonopioid analgesics. Ninety-six percent of patients were satisfied with their pain control. Similar findings were observed across procedure subcategories. The number of pills prescribed was not correlated with satisfaction but was predictive of worst pain level (p = 0.014). Reduction mammaplasty and abdominoplasty patients consumed the most opioids at 17 and 18.6 pills, respectively; however, first-stage alloplastic breast reconstruction had the largest percentage of patients consuming opioids at the time of follow-up (25 percent) and requiring refills (7 percent). Patients who underwent revision of their reconstructed breast reported the earliest opioid cessation, rated their pain the lowest, and were prescribed the most excess tablets.
Conclusions:
Plastic surgeons are prescribing almost double the amount of opioids consumed by patients after outpatient plastic surgery procedures. The results of this study may help guide prescribing practices.
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