Background: Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should be avoided in bariatric surgery patients. If use of an NSAID is inevitable, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) should also be used.
Aim: To determine the effect of an, compared to care-as-usual, additional intervention to reduce NSAID use in patients who underwent bariatric surgery, and to determine the use of PPIs in patients who use NSAIDs after bariatric surgery.
Methods: A randomized controlled intervention study in patients after bariatric surgery. Patients were randomized to an intervention or a control group. The intervention consisted of sending a letter to patients and their general practitioners on the risks of use of NSAIDs after bariatric surgery and the importance of avoiding NSAID use. The control group received care-as-usual. Dispensing data of NSAIDs and PPIs were collected from patients' pharmacies: from a period of 6 months before and from 3 until 9 months after the intervention.
Results: Two hundred forty-eight patients were included (intervention group: 124; control group: 124). The number of users of NSAIDs decreased from 22 to 18 % in the intervention group and increased from 20 to 21 % in the control group (NS). The use of a PPI with an NSAID rose from 52 to 55 % in the intervention group, and from 52 to 69 % in the control group (NS).
Conclusions: Informing patients and their general practitioners by letter, in addition to care-as-usual, is not an effective intervention to reduce the use of NSAIDs after bariatric surgery (trial number NTR3665).
Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Drug safety; Intervention; NSAID; Proton pump inhibitor.