Pre-operative Education Modalities to Decrease Opioid Use

This is a triple-armed, randomized, controlled, non-blinded trial that will be conducted at Virginia Mason Medical Center (VMMC). Men of age 18 or older undergoing robotic assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for prostate cancer will be approached to participate in the study. Recruited patients will be randomized into three main groups based upon opioid education given to the patient before surgery: usual care group, text handout group, and text handout with pre-recorded video group.

During their pre-operative visit, the usual care group will undergo usual pre-surgery patient education care dependent on their provider. The study group will receive additional standardized pre-operative education including the topics of:

Description of expected postoperative pain after robotic prostatectomy and typical opioid consumption after RARP.
Efficacy of non-opioid multimodal analgesia and recommendation to take nonopioid alternatives prior to prescribed opioids.
Adverse short- and long-term effects of opioids including nausea, vomiting, sedation, hypoventilation, hypotension, dizziness, constipation, depression, and addiction.

Patients in both usual care and study groups will receive standardized multimodal analgesia program with minimal opioids used.

Primary outcomes measured will include in-hospital and post-discharge opioid use, pain levels and time to return of bowel function. Secondary outcomes will include daily measures of patient satisfaction and quality of life, feeling of preparedness to manage post-operative pain, as well as incidence of prolonged opioid use at 90 days after surgery.