Principal Investigator: Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH | Salva Balbale, PhD The national opioid crisis continues to adversely affect millions of lives, including a growing number of individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Studies have suggested that long-term opioid use among IBD patients can result in serious detrimental effects on GI function. Opioid use disorders in this population have also been linked to longer hospital stays, increasing health care costs, and deaths. Yet a comprehensive understanding of the opioid usage and pain management needs of these patients remains elusive. Additionally, no published studies have explored the decision-making process that IBD providers use when prescribing opioids. Dr. Stulberg’s study will lay the groundwork for developing best practices to optimize the use of opioids for IBD patients. The researchers will conduct interviews with IBD providers, in addition to focus groups with IBD patients to ensure all voices are heard and incorporated in future opioid safety efforts to enhance the care and pain management for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. (Dr. Stulberg led a previous DHF-funded study in 2017 that tracked and greatly reduced opioid prescriptions and risk of misuse in GI surgery...
Principal Investigator: Mehul V. Rahul, MD; Co-Principal Investigator: Salva N. Balbale, MS, Doctoral Candidate Enhanced Recovery Protocols (ERPs) are evidence-based interventions that utilize perioperative education and counseling provided through surgery and recovery to safe discharge. ERPs have been found to decrease hospital length of stay, in-hospital costs, and complications among a variety of adult surgical populations, including those undergoing abdominal and gastrointestinal tract surgery. As many as 17 percent of the 70,000 children with IBD in the United States need surgery within five years of diagnosis to manage their disease. ERPs offer an opportunity to enhance the care of these young patients, yet these strategies are currently lagging in the pediatric setting. This study will lay the groundwork and provide a baseline assessment of ERPs in 15 pediatric surgical practice sites across the country. The investigators will evaluate the effectiveness and impact of ERPs on outcomes, and use their findings in the development of an implementation...
