Bones, groans and sending patients home: Perioperative opioid-related harm reduction strategy utilisation in a regional New South Wales (NSW) hospital.

Objective: Perioperative initiation of opioids continues to be a major contributor to chronic use, misuse and diversion in regional areas. There is considerable effort to mitigate harm through avoiding excessive prescribing and reducing the risk of persistent postoperative opioid use. Improving perioperative documentation practices has been reported to ensure appropriate opioid initiation and de-escalation.