Providing surgery patients with opioid disposal kits at the time of discharge significantly increases the rates of proper opioid disposal, according to a study published online on Jan. 1 in BMJ Open Quality.

The study, led by Eric Shan from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, analyzed the impact of these kits on disposal rates following orthopedic surgeries. Researchers compared data from 1,321 patients who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty between May and September 2022. Patients discharged between May and July did not receive opioid disposal kits, while those discharged between July and September did.

The findings revealed a 10.6 percentage-point increase in opioid disposal rates among patients provided with disposal kits (rising from 20.8% to 28.4%) and a 10.5 percentage-point increase in the proportion of opioids safely discarded (from 16.1% to 20.2%). Additionally, the study highlighted the cost-effectiveness of the intervention, with each disposal kit priced at less than $2.

“Any time we can cut down the number of opioids that could potentially circulate or be misused, it’s a positive step,” said Dr. Anish Agarwal, M.D., M.P.H., co-corresponding author and member of the Center for Insights to Outcomes at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

The research underscores the critical role of low-cost, proactive measures in mitigating the risk of opioid misuse, particularly in a post-surgical context where leftover medications often contribute to the broader opioid crisis.