Opioid-related Adverse Drug Events: Do Parents Recognize the Signals?

OBJECTIVES:Evidence of unrelieved childhood pain, adverse drug events (ADE), and deaths suggest that parents may inadequately respond to pain and opioid-related ADE signals. This study examined parents’ recognition and response to pain and ADE signals using both dynamic hypothetical scenarios and real at-home opioid decisions. MATERIALS AND METHODS:A total of 514 parents whose children required prescription opioids after discharge were surveyed. Parents made analgesic decisions for 4 hypothetical scenarios wherein the child’s pain level and ADE symptoms were altered. After discharge, parents recorded their child’s real pain levels, ADEs, and their analgesic decisions. Mixed-effects logistic regression examined the influence of pain and ADE signals on parents’ opioid decisions. RESULTS:Pain intensity had a main effect on parents’ hypothetical and real decisions to give opioids (P≤0.001). Nausea/vomiting influenced the decision to give the prescribed opioid dose (β=−1.48 [95% confidence interval (CI)−1.78, −1.19], P