Preoperative patient education and patient preparedness are associated with less postoperative use of opioids.

Background: Because many patients are first exposed to opioids after general surgery procedures, surgical stewardship for the use of opioids is critical in addressing the opioid crisis. We developed a multi-component opioid reduction program to minimize the use of opioids after surgery. Our objectives were to assess patient exposure to the intervention and to investigate the association with postoperative use and disposal of opioids.