Surgical Patient Knowledge and Safe Use of Opioids

Opioids are commonly prescribed for surgical patients to treat moderate to severe pain after surgery. However, opioids can be associated with serious complications such as respiratory depression and death. Currently, it is not routine practice to provide standardized written materials to surgical patients about the risks of opioids and how to safely use opioids after surgery. Investigator has developed an educational pamphlet specifically for surgical patients to educate them about the safe use of opioids. The objective of this study is to determine whether the pamphlet increases surgical patients' knowledge about the safe use, proper storage and disposal of opioids.