Lancaster E, Inglis-Arkell C, Hirose K, et al. - Researchers ascertained variability in opioid-prescribing patterns in endocrine surgery and discordance with patient use. In the United States, prescription opioid abuse had become a considerable problem, with prevalence rising over the last 2 decades. Overprescription of opioid medications gave into the epidemic of prescription opioid abuse, with less than 40% of prescribed pills actually being consumed by patients. Recent studies have discovered that the quantity of opioids prescribed differed significantly by clinician for the same operation within the same institution. Factors contributing to overprescription of opioids had a deficiency of standardized prescribing guidelines for patients following surgery and for nonopioid pain medications, a lack of prescriber education around options.