Table 1

Inclusion and exclusion criteria for selecting studies

Inclusion criteriaExclusion criteria
PopulationAdults (aged 18 years and over) who have undergone any minor or significant elective or emergency surgery and subsequently prescribed at least one prescription of opioids

  1. Studies exclusively focused on adolescents under 18 years.

  2. Patients having undergone a day procedure/investigation.

InterventionPatient-focused or clinician-led interventions (paper-based, electronic system, guideline or resources) delivered at an individual level. Can be psychological, biological, educational, informatics or social care interventions to wean/deprescribe opioids

  1. Interventions targeted intra-operatively in theatre/anaesthetic settings to reduce opioid consumption post-operatively.

  2. Interventions were not patient-focused/clinician-led or not delivered by a healthcare professional.

  3. Intervention is not focused on deprescribing opioids.

  4. Interventions delivered at a population level.

  5. Studies looking at the implementation of national/controlled drug policies/regulations.

OutcomesOpioid tapering or deprescribing (studies reported dose change or opioid use before and after intervention)Studies did not measure or report opioid deprescribing outcomes.
Type of studiesRandomised or non-randomised studies (before-and-after comparison studies, cohort studies)

  1. Other types of studies (eg, case reports, opinions, case-control or cross-sectional studies, conference proceedings).

  2. Not original, fully published studies.

  3. Studies reported systematic reviews.