BMJ open quality
Under-utilisation of demographic and social variables in the analysis of postoperative opioid use after lumbar fusion: a rapid review
By Schrader EJ, Fox BQ, Halliday IP and 5 others.
Abstract
Objectives
Limited research has explored how demographic and social factors affect opioid use after lumbar fusion. This review quantifies how frequently patient-level factors are reported in the literature. It also summarises findings from observational studies that use these factors to analytically evaluate how patient-level factors influence opioid use after lumbar fusion.
Methods
Medline (via PubMed) was comprehensively searched to identify studies published between 1 January 2015 and 18 April 2025 that reported either opioid consumption or time to rescue analgesia after lumbar fusion. Randomised controlled trials, studies with paediatric patients and studies in which lumbar fusion was not disaggregated from other surgeries were excluded. From each eligible article, data regarding patient-level factors were extracted, and proportions of articles reporting and analysing each variable were calculated.