Parental Report of Morphine Use at Home after Pediatric Surgery

Objective To describe the use of morphine at home for acute postoperative pain in children. Study design This was a prospective, descriptive study. Patients less than 12 years of age who underwent surgery and who received a discharge prescription for morphine between January and May 2014 were included. Parents were given a logbook to note their use of morphine at home. A follow-up call was performed 3 days after discharge. The primary outcome was whether or not parents administered morphine according to the discharge prescription. Prescription filling rates, storage at home, administration devices used, and disposal of remaining morphine were also evaluated. Results A total of 243 subjects were recruited; 56% (95% CI, 46%-66%) of participants with a regular basis prescription administered the medication as prescribed. This number was 85% (95% CI, 78%-92%) in subjects receiving an as-needed prescription, including those who did not administer any morphine because of an absence of pain. Although 76% (95% CI, 68%-84%) of parents filled the morphine prescription when prescribed as needed, most administered two doses or less. In a subset of 77 subjects for whom we obtained detailed prescription data, only 9.2% of prescribed doses were administered. Conclusion We observed that large amounts of morphine have been prescribed and dispensed into homes without being administered. This study identified a need to re-evaluate the quantity of morphine prescribed and dispensed after pediatric surgery.