The Consortium for Ureteral Stent Pain was founded in 2018 to enable patients and urologists, industrial designers and industry partners to collaborate on healthcare interventions for the management of ureteral stent pain. Stent symptoms have been typically poorly managed through the use of opioid medications. In light of the American opioid crisis, we as urologists need to find better alternatives.
Beginning in 2016, we have made a concerted effort to avoid the prescription of opioid medications for stent symptoms after ureteroscopy. Through our experience, we have developed and evaluated a comprehensive perioperative pathway. This “Enhanced Recovery Stent Pathway” and multimodal non-opioid approach to stent symptoms is now available as an open source toolkit for urologists and institutions to implement. Our goal is to improve patient outcomes and to develop new ideas through collaboration to bring about the non-opioid revolution.