An Interactive Web-Based Educational Program Improves Prescription Opioid Risk Knowledge and Perceptions Among Parents

Abstract

Aim: 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. Patients & methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.

Keywords::

• opioid risk
• pain
• patient understanding
• pediatrics
• web-based patient education

Author contributions

T Voepel-Lewis and AR Tait were responsible for the study design, methods, analyses, data interpretation, manuscript preparation and editing. A Belcher was responsible for subject recruitment, data entry and manuscript review/editing. R Levine assisted with study design, beta testing and manuscript editing.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to recognize the assistance of M Weber, who helped with subject identification and training of research assistants.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

R Levine is the President and Chief Medical Officer and President of ArchieMD, Inc. but was funded independently for this project by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA; R43 DA042645-01). R Levine was responsible for the development of the interactive program but had no involvement in subject recruitment, data collection, analysis or interpretation of the data. None of the other investigators have any financial, commercial or other interests in ArchieMD, Inc. T Voepel-Lewis is also funded by a grant from NIDA (R01 DA044245). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical disclosure

This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Michigan Medical School (IRBMED, HUM#00119290) with verbal consent from parents.

Additional information

Funding

R Levine is the President and Chief Medical Officer and President of ArchieMD, Inc. but was funded independently for this project by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA; R43 DA042645-01). R Levine was responsible for the development of the interactive program but had no involvement in subject recruitment, data collection, analysis or interpretation of the data. None of the other investigators have any financial, commercial or other interests in ArchieMD, Inc. T Voepel-Lewis is also funded by a grant from NIDA (R01 DA044245). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.