An interactive web-based educational program improves prescription opioid risk knowledge and perceptions among parents

• Published in: Pain management Vol. 9; no. 4; pp. 369 - 377
• Main Authors: Voepel-Lewis, Terri, Tait, Alan R, Becher, Asif, Levine, Robert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Future Medicine Ltd 01.07.2019
• Subjects: Analgesics; Analgesics, Opioid - adverse effects; Children & youth; Clinical decision making; Decision making; Drug dosages; Emergency medical care; Female; Health Education - methods; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Internet-Based Intervention; Intervention; Knowledge; Male; Multimedia; Narcotics; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; opioid risk; pain; Pain Management; Parents; Parents & parenting; patient understanding; Patients; Pediatrics; Perceptions; Risk Factors; Smartphones; Software; web-based patient education; web-based patient education; pain; patient understanding; opioid risk; pediatrics
• ISSN: 1758-1869; 1758-1877
• DOI: 10.2217/pmt-2019-0003

This study evaluated the effect of an interactive, web-based educational program on parents’ opioid risk knowledge, risk perceptions, analgesic self efficacy and decision-making. Totally, 64 parents from a tertiary care pediatric healthcare setting were assessed for risk understanding at baseline, immediately and 3 days after receiving the educational program. Participants gained increased opioid risk knowledge, enhanced risk perceptions as well as enhanced analgesic self efficacy after program exposure. The program had no effect on parental decisions about when to give or withhold a prescribed opioid. The interactive web-based program improved parental knowledge about opioid risks. Program enhancements may be needed to improve pain management decisions about when it is safe to use opioids and when they should be withheld.