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Completed Not applicable Interventional

Provider-Targeted Behavioral Interventions to Prevent Unsafe Opioid Prescribing for Acute Pain in Primary Care

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03537573

Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT03537573. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.

ClinicalTrials.gov public records Last synced Sep 5, 2026, 7:10 PM EDT

Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.

Official title

Provider-Targeted Behavioral Interventions to Prevent Unsafe Opioid Prescribing for Acute Non-Cancer Pain in Primary Care

Brief summary

Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.

The investigators will assess whether behavioral science-based interventions can "nudge" providers towards more evidence-based care for patients with acute non-cancer pain. Aim 1) Among opioid naïve primary care patients with acute non-cancer pain, compare the effect of the provider-targeted behavioral interventions (opioid justification and provider comparison), individually and in combination, on initial opioid prescription, initial use of non-opioid management, and patient-reported pain and function. Aim 2) Compare the effect of the 2 provider-targeted behavioral interventions, individually and in combination, on unsafe opioid prescribing and transition to chronic opioid therapy. Aim 3) Assess provider satisfaction and experience with the provider-targeted behavioral interventions. Hypotheses: Aim 1, H1a: Compared with the guideline (usual care) alone, the addition of the opioid justification and provider comparison behavioral interventions will be associated with a decreased proportion of opioid prescription and increased proportion of non-opioid management at the initial outpatient visit for acute non-cancer pain. Aim 1, H1b: Compared with usual care (guideline) alone, the addition of the opioid justification and provider comparison behavioral interventions will be associated with no difference in patient-reported pain, function, and satisfaction at 1, 6, and 12 months. Aim 2, H2: Compared with the usual care (guideline), the addition of opioid justification and provider comparison behavioral interventions will be associated with a decreased proportion of patients receiving unsafe opioid therapy and a decreased proportion of patients transitioning to chronic opioid therapy. Study Design: Pragmatic, cluster-randomized clinical trial in 48 primary care clinics. Study Population: The patient population will be 19,855 opioid naïve adults who present to clinic with acute uncomplicated musculoskeletal pain or headache. Primary and Secondary Outcomes: The primary outcome measures will be receipt of an initial opioid prescription and unsafe opioid prescribing. Secondary outcomes will be non-opioid pain management, and, in 514 patients, patient-reported pain and function. Analytic Plan: The investigators will test for differences in the primary and secondary outcomes among the 4 intervention groups. Once completed, the project will provide evidence that health systems and other stakeholders need to implement interventions to prevent unsafe opioid prescribing.

Study identification

NCT ID
NCT03537573
Recruitment status
Completed
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Not applicable
Lead sponsor
University of Pittsburgh
Other
Enrollment
22,616 participants

Conditions and interventions

Eligibility (public fields only)

Age range
18 Years and older
Sex
All
Healthy volunteers
Healthy volunteers not accepted

This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.

Study timeline

Start date
Sep 22, 2018
Primary completion
Jan 30, 2020
Completion
Feb 27, 2021
Last update posted
Oct 7, 2024

2018 – 2021

United States locations

U.S. sites
1
U.S. states
1
U.S. cities
1
Facility City State ZIP Site status
UPMC Community Medicine Incorporated Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 15213

Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.

About this trial record page

What this page shows
Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT03537573, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
What this page does not do
No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
Where the data comes from
Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
Last refresh
Last update posted Oct 7, 2024 · Synced Sep 5, 2026

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Open the official record

The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT03537573 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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