Peer-reviewed article
2170 Risk factors for prescription opioid misuse after traumatic injury in adolescents
·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a research protocol for a prospective cohort study investigating risk factors for prescription opioid misuse in adolescents aged 12-18 who have experienced traumatic injury. The study will follow 50 trauma patients in Indianapolis for 12 months, collecting data on opioid use patterns, substance use behaviors, and mental health factors. The research aims to identify clinical, behavioral, and social predictors of opioid misuse to inform better prescribing practices and collaborative care models in trauma settings.
Key points
- Study design: prospective cohort of 50 adolescents followed for 12 months post-discharge
- Will examine clinical predictors (opioid type, dosage, duration) that could be modified to reduce long-term opioid use
- Aims to identify behavioral and social risk factors that increase likelihood of medication misuse and nonmedical opioid use
- Long-term goal is to develop collaborative care models addressing opioid use in trauma settings, informed by genetic and individual characteristics
- Research may inform acute care prescribing patterns and help identify high-risk patients through screening in hospital settings
Limitations
This is a study protocol describing planned research rather than completed findings, so no actual results are available. The small sample size (n=50) and single geographic location may limit generalizability.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The objective of this study is to determine predictors and motives for sustained opioid use, prescription misuse, and nonmedical opioid use in the adolescent trauma population. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This is a prospective cohort study that will follow patients for 1 year and administer surveys to patients on prescription opioid usage; substance use; utilization of pain management and mental health services; mental and physical health conditions; and behavioral and social risk factors. Patient eligibility criteria include: (1) patient is 12–18 years of age; (2) admitted for trauma; (3) english speaking; (4) resides within Indianapolis, IN metropolitan area; and (5) consent can be obtained from a parent or guardian. Patients with severe brain injuries or other injuries that prevent survey participation will be excluded. The patient sample will comprise of 50 traumatically injured adolescents admitted for trauma who will be followed for 12 months after discharge. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We expect that the results of this study will identify multiple risk factors for sustained opioid use that can be used to create targeted interventions to reduce opioid misuse in the adolescent trauma population. Clinical predictors such as opioid type, dosage, and duration that can be modified to reduce the risk of long-term opioid use will be identified. We expect to elucidate clinical, behavioral, and social risk factors that increase the likelihood adolescents will misuse their medication and initiate nonmedical opioid use. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Trauma is a surgical specialty that often has limited collaboration with behavioral health providers. Collaborative care models for trauma patients to adequately address the psychological impact of a traumatic injury have become more common in recent years. These models have primarily been concerned with the prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder. We would like to apply the findings of our research to better understand what motivates adolescents to misuse pain medications as well as how clinical, individual, behavioral, and social factors affect medication usage. This may help identify patients at greater risk of developing a SUD by asking questions not commonly addressed in the hospital setting. For example, similar to how trauma centers have mandated brief interventions on alcohol use be performed for center verification, screening patients’ on their social environment may identify patients at greater risk for SUD than assumed. The long-term goal would be to prevent opioid use disorders in injured adolescents by providing better post-acute care support, possibly by developing and implementing a collaborative care model that addresses opioid use. Additionally, we believe our findings could be applied in the acute care setting as well to help inform opioid prescribing and pain management methods in the acute phase of an injury. Genetic testing to determine which opioid to prescribe pediatric surgical patients is starting to be done at some pediatric hospitals. Certain genes determine which specific opioid is most effective in controlling a patient’s pain and, further, using the optimal opioid medication can also reduce overdose. Our findings may help refine prescribing patterns that could increase or decrease the likelihood of developing SUD in patients with certain genetic, clinical, behavioral, and social characteristics.