University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Feb 5 2026 For many Americans, a routine surgical procedure serves as their first introduction to opioid pain medication. While most stop using these drugs as they heal, a considerable number of "opioid-naïve" patients transition into New Persistent Opioid Use (NPOU)-continuing use long after the typical recovery period. A new systematic review and meta-analysis led by Penn Nursing researchers, published in Pain Medicine , has identified the specific