Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online · IF 2.1 · August 11, 2026 · LoE III
The Impact of Opioid-Related Disorder on Healthcare Resource Utilization Following Distal Radius Fracture Repair Surgery
Bergin M Brown, Anthony M. Castro, Daisy V. Lookinland, Lasya P. Sethi, Stephen A. Stache, Asif M. Ilyas — Drexel University
This retrospective TriNetX database study compared 789 propensity-matched adults with a prior diagnosis of opioid-related disorder (ORD) to 789 without it, all having undergone distal radius fracture repair. Within 90 days, ORD patients had significantly higher rates of ED visits (21.8% vs 11.2%), hospitalizations (13.6% vs 8.5%), and physical therapy evaluations (18.8% vs 12.0%), and they received more opioid prescriptions per patient (8.3 vs 4.7) between 30 days and 1 year postoperatively, with no significant difference in outpatient visits or antidepressant prescriptions.
AI summary · from the full text · reviewed by Pukhraj Gaheer, Medical Student, Queen's University before publishing
Why it mattersDistal radius fracture is one of the most common orthopedic procedures, so identifying patients with opioid-related disorder as a high-utilization, high-risk subgroup could help hand surgeons target perioperative counseling and opioid stewardship.
Conclusion strengthConfirms prior evidence
This identifies a risk factor rather than testing a treatment, so it cannot support a change in what we do.
Presenting this at rounds? Start here
- ?Should a documented history of opioid-related disorder prompt routine preoperative screening or a dedicated care pathway before distal radius fracture repair?
- ?How might surgeons balance adequate postoperative pain control against opioid stewardship in patients with a known opioid-related disorder undergoing distal radius fracture repair?