Perianesthesia Nurses' Knowledge and Promotion of Safe Use, Storage, and Disposal of Opioids

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine perianesthesia nurses' knowledge and promotion of safe use, storage, and disposal of opioids to patients in the ambulatory surgery setting. Design: A mixed methods descriptive survey. Methods: Perianesthesia nurses who have responsibility for discharge education of patients after ambulatory surgery were eligible to participate. An evidence-based survey was e-mailed to all American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses members. A total of 1,977 nurses agreed to participate; 1,632 nurses met inclusion criteria and completed the survey. Responses to open-ended questions were coded and analyzed. Findings: Perianesthesia nurses were generally knowledgeable about opioids and a large majority (82%) discuss side effects of opioids with every patient. A smaller percentage of perianesthesia nurses reported promoting safe use (27%), storage (23%), and disposal of opioids (18%) with every patient. Conclusions: Perianesthesia nurses have an opportunity to develop standard guidelines for patient education to uniformly promote postoperative opioid safety.