Clinical Decision Support for Safety of Opioid Transitions

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, DENVER · Jul 24, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is focused on improving the safety of opioid prescriptions by using a special alert system. The study aims to help doctors recognize when a patient is moving from one stage of opioid treatment to another, such as from short-term use (like after surgery) to long-term use. According to recent guidelines, doctors should check in on how the patient is feeling and whether continuing opioids is the best choice before making these changes. In this trial, some doctors will receive alerts to remind them to review their patients' needs when prescribing opioids, while others will not receive these notifications but will still have access to patient information.

To be eligible for this trial, patients should be receiving an opioid prescription that changes their treatment phase, but there are some restrictions. For example, patients must be between the ages of 12 and 89, and those with certain conditions like active cancer or in hospice care are not included. Participants in the trial will not need to do anything extra; their usual medical care will continue, and researchers will collect information from their medical records to see how well the alert system works in supporting safer opioid prescribing.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• • Inclusion Criteria: Any primary care encounter where an opioid is prescribed that transitions the patient to a different stage of opioid therapy (acute to subacute after 1 month of opioids; subacute to chronic after 3 months of an opioid)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients \<12 and \>89
• • Patients with active cancer diagnosis in last 1 year
• • Patients with hospice care/palliative care order
• • Patients with sickle cell disease diagnosis