Clinical Trial: Primary Care Intervention to Reduce Prescription Opioid Overdoses

Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional




Official Title: Primary Care Intervention to Reduce Prescription Opioid Overdoses

Brief Summary:

The high rate of adverse events, including overdose, resulting from opioid pain medication use threatens the quality and safety of pain care in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and elsewhere and is a critical public health problem in the United States. Pain is a highly common condition among VHA patients, and opioid therapy constitutes a primary mode of pain treatment.

This study seeks to address this issue by conducting a randomized controlled trial of a brief conversation to improve opioid safety among Veteran patients receiving long-term opioid therapy. Veterans receiving opioid therapy for pain in primary care will be recruited and randomized to receive either a single session motivational intervention focused on safe opioid use or an equal attention control condition. The primary hypothesis is that the motivational intervention will improve opioid safety, decrease risk behaviors, aberrant opioid use, and total quantities of opioids prescribed relative to the control condition. Study findings will inform efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of Veteran patients with pain.