• Gabriela Ortega, Alexa Lisenby, Tatiana Getz, Wenhui Zhang, Kenneth Mueller, Mara L Schenker, Sydney A Axson, and Nicholas A Giordano.
• Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
• Pain Manag Nurs. 2024 Aug 2.

PurposeOpioid-induced constipation is an adverse effect often experienced among patients taking prescription opioid medication. Despite frequent opioid prescribing after orthopedic injury, there is a dearth of research examining opioid-induced constipation presentations in this population. This analysis examines the frequency of opioid-induced constipation manifestations and association with patient-reported outcomes among participants prescribed opioid medication following orthopedic injury.DesignSecondary analysis of 86 clinical trial participants following orthopedic trauma.MethodsParticipants were assessed 2-weeks postoperatively with the following measures: Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Interference, PROMIS Physical Function, past 24-hour average pain intensity captured on the numeric pain rating scale, and the Patient Assessment of Constipation Symptoms (PAC-SYM) questionnaire. Linear regressions examined the association between PAC-SYM scores and both pain intensity and PROMIS T-scores while accounting for injury severity and opioid medication dosage.ResultsMost participants (69%) reported experiencing opioid-induced constipation symptoms and 7% reported moderate to severe symptoms. Compared to those without symptoms, participants reporting opioid-induced constipation symptoms were found to have a 3-point increase in PROMIS Pain Interference (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.28-5.90; p = .032), a 3-point decline in PROMIS Physical Function (95% CI: -6.57 to -0.02; p = .049), and a 1.7-point increase in average pain scores (95% CI: 0.50-3.01; p = .007) at 2-weeks following surgery.ConclusionsOpioid-induced constipation symptoms are common after orthopedic trauma and linked to increased pain interference and pain intensity as well as reduced physical function.Clinical ImplicationsNurse-led assessments of opioid-induced constipation can support the timely delivery of interventions to alleviate symptoms and potentially improve patient-reported outcomes after injury.Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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