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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT04155229

EMR Defaults to Nudge Opioid Prescribing

The investigators conducted a prospective, block-randomized study to determine whether and to what extent changes in the default settings in the electronic medical record (EMR) affect opioid prescriptions for patients discharged from emergency departments (EDs).

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Key information

Conditions

Pain, Acute Acute Pain Neurologic Manifestations Opioid Use, Unspecified Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

In two large, urban emergency departments, we randomly altered the pre-populated dispense quantities of discharge prescriptions for commonly-prescribed opioids over a series of five 4-week blocks. These changes were made without announcement, and providers were not informed of the study itself.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Discharge prescription from emergency for study drug: hydrocodone/acetaminophen, oxycodone, or oxycodone/acetaminophen.

Exclusion criteria

  • none

Treatment and study plan

Default settings for opioid prescriptions (acetaminophen/hydrocodone, oxycodone, acetaminophen/oxycodone)

Other

For each of the arms, the investigators modified the default setting for the dispense quantity of study opioids on the electronic medical record settings for discharge prescriptions.

Study drugs include acetaminophen 325mg + hydrocodone 5mg, acetaminophen 325mg + hydrocodone 7.5mg, acetaminophen 325mg + hydrocodone 10mg, oxycodone 5mg, acetaminophen 325mg + oxycodone 5mg, acetaminophen 325mg + oxycodone 10mg.

Primary outcomes

  1. Dispense quantity of prescribed opioids

    Time frame: Through study completion, approximately 340 days

    The dispense quantity of prescribed study drugs was collected from the electronic medical record at each site. The mean and median quantities per prescription according to each study arm were compared.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Proportion ≤12

    Time frame: Through study completion, approximately 340 days

    The dispense quantity of study drugs was collected from the electronic medical record at each site. The proportion of prescriptions at 12 or fewer tablets was compared across study arms.

  2. Proportion at default setting

    Time frame: Through study completion, approximately 340 days

    The dispense quantity of study drugs was collected from the electronic medical record at each site. The proportion of prescriptions written for the given default setting was compared across treatment arms.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Francisco

Other

Collaborators

  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Registry information

Official study title

Effect of Default Electronic Health Record Settings on Clinician Opioid Prescribing Patterns in Emergency Departments

Important dates

Study start
2016
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Nov 7, 2019
Registry last updated
Nov 7, 2019

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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