The Impact of Race on Postoperative Opioid, NSAID, and Acetaminophen Prescribing Patterns for Pediatric Surgery Pain Management

Introduction:

Racial Disparities in Pain Management: Racial bias influences pain assessment and prescribing patterns, with minority patients often receiving less adequate pain management than White patients.1

Opioid Prescribing Concerns: Post-surgical opioid use is a key pathway to misuse in adolescents, with racial differences in prescribing linked to higher adverse outcomes among minority patients.2

Study Objective: Comprehensive analysis of prescribing patterns across racial groups in pediatric surgical settings remains limited. This study used TriNetX data to investigate racial differences in postoperative pain medication prescribing for pediatric surgical patients.