Skip to main content

Machine Learning Can ID Risk for Persistent Opioid Use After Surgery

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 6, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Sept. 6, 2024 -- Machine learning can identify patients who are at risk for persistent opioid use after surgery, according to a study published in the September issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Natalie B. Baxter, from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, and colleagues trained two algorithms to predict persistent opioid use using a general surgery data set and a hand surgery data set, resulting in four trained models for adult surgery patients. Each model's performance was tested using hand surgery data. The first algorithm was the Michigan Genomics Initiative model, which accommodates patient-reported data and includes patients with or without prior opioid use; the second algorithm was the claims model designed for insurance claims data from opioid-naive individuals.

Data were included for 889 hand surgery patients; 49 percent were opioid-naive and 21 percent developed persistent opioid use. The researchers found that most of the patients underwent soft-tissue procedures or fracture repair (55 and 20 percent, respectively). Areas under the receiver operating curve (AUCs) were 0.84 and 0.85 when trained on hand surgery data and the full cohort of surgery patients, respectively, for the Michigan Genomics Initiative model. AUCs were 0.69 and 0.52 when trained only on hand surgery data and opioid-naive surgery patients, respectively, for the claims model.

"Considering the challenge of providing patient-tailored pain control regimens after surgery, applied machine learning has the potential to decrease provider burden and enhance quality of care," the authors write.

Financial ties to Sonex and Teva Pharmaceuticals were disclosed.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Study IDs Predictors of Biomechanical Function in Patients With OA Undergoing Hip Replacement

WEDNESDAY, April 23, 2025 -- For patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA), osteoarthritis (OA) severity is the best predictor of preoperative biomechanical function, and...

Hospital Addiction Consultation Service Aids Opioid Use Disorder

WEDNESDAY, April 16, 2025 -- A hospital-based addiction consultation service can improve receipt of evidence-based treatment for people with opioid use disorder (OUD), according...

Preop Macular Thickness May Be Marker of Postop Delirium in Seniors

FRIDAY, April 4, 2025 -- In older patients undergoing surgery, preoperative macular thickness may be a marker for vulnerability to developing postoperative delirium, according to...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.