Postoperative opioid prescriptions for children are often unnecessary for some common surgeries, and safe opioid stewardship necessitates elimination of opioid exposure after many of these operations, according to a research letter published in JAMA Surgery.

“From 1999 to 2016, opioid-related overdoses rose by 250% among children and adolescents,” Calista M. Harbaugh, MD, general surgery resident at the University of Michigan, and colleagues wrote. “Acute pain after surgery or injury is the most frequent indication for pediatric opioid prescribing.”