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Drug Use DisordersCARENCT02224508

Evaluation of a Health Plan Initiative to Mitigate Chronic Opioid Therapy Risks

An observational study of Drug Use Disorders and Drug Abuse, run by Kaiser Permanente.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Background: Sixty million American adults suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain. Of these, 5 to 8 million currently use opioids long-term. With increased opioid prescribing for chronic pain, an epidemic of prescription opioid addiction and overdose has arisen. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Drug Use Disorders, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction
How many people
1,588 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Sep 2014to Jan 2016
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: The study population is prevalent Chronic Opioid Therapy (COT) patients from Group Health clinics. Our initial goals was to interview and compare 800 COT patients using opioids long-term from clinics that implemented the risk reduction initiative and 800 COT patients from care settings that did not. sample size targets were revised to enroll 950 COT patients from the clinics that implemented the risk reduction initiatives and 650 from the clinics that did not implement the risk reduction initiatives.

Who may be able to join

  • Enrolled for at least one year prior to sampling for survey
  • Received 70+ days supply of opioids in 2 of 4 quarters, including the most recent 90 days
  • Received 45+ days supply of opioids in the other 2 quarters

Who cannot join

  • Received cancer diagnoses, other than non-melanoma skin cancer, at least twice in the prior year
  • Received any skilled nursing facility care in the prior year
  • Received any hospice care or
  • Received any opioids from an oncologist

About this study

Background: Sixty million American adults suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain. Of these, 5 to 8 million currently use opioids long-term. With increased opioid prescribing for chronic pain, an epidemic of prescription opioid addiction and overdose has arisen. This necessitates action to stem opioid-related morbidity and mortality. Group Health (GH), a large nonprofit health plan, developed and implemented opioid risk reduction strategies for doctors and patients in some, but not all, of its clinics. The risk reduction initiative achieved large opioid dose reductions, near universal documentation of care plans, and marked increases in patient monitoring. Rigorous evaluation of patient outcomes resulting from the opioid risk reduction initiative, incorporating patient perspectives, is needed to guide health care improvement efforts to reduce opioid risks regionally and nationally.

Research goal: The investigators will evaluate a major health plan initiative to reduce risks of long-term opioid use for chronic pain. Starting in 2008, some GH clinics reduced prescribing of high opioid doses. In 2010 the same clinics increased care planning and monitoring of chronic opioid therapy (COT) patients. Our research goal is to evaluate effects of this initiative on health and safety outcomes of COT patients. We will test whether the initiative influenced pain outcomes; patient-reported opioid benefits and problems; and opioid-related adverse events.

Read more

Design and Outcomes: The investigators will assess effects of GH's opioid risk reduction initiative among COT patients using opioids long-term. The investigators will compare COT patients from clinics that implemented the initiative with COT patients from care settings that did not implement the initiative. The investigators will use survey data to assess patient-reported outcomes including pain severity, depressive symptoms, and patient perceptions of opioid benefits and problems, including validated measures of prescription opioid use disorder. They will interview and compare 800 COT patients using opioids long-term from clinics that implemented the risk reduction initiative and 800 COT patients from care settings that did not.

Impact: This research will provide an urgently needed, rigorous evaluation of a major risk reduction initiative among COT patients. Evaluation results will guide efforts of health plans, clinicians and patients nationwide to ensure safe, effective and compassionate chronic pain care.

Read the detailed description

Detailed description not provided

Medical subject headings
Substance-Related Disorders, Pain, Depressive Disorder

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT02224508
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Opioid Risk Reduction InitiativeOpioid risk reduction initiative for chronic opioid therapy patients implemented in Group Health integrated group practice clinics.
Usual CareUsual care for management of chronic opioid therapy patients implemented in Group Health network care settings.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Proportion With Prescription Opioid Use Disorder (Defined by DSM5 Criteria).

    Proportion with Prescription Opioid Use Disorder, which is defined by multiple indicators of opioid abuse and addiction from 9 criteria in the DSM5 manual of the American Psychiatric Association. In this research, it will be assessed using the Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders (PRISM5, Columbia University). Estimates were weighted to account for non-response, with weights based on baseline patient characteristics assessed with electronic health care data available for all chronic opioid therapy patients sampled for the survey. The number analyzed differs from the Participant Flow module due to persons with missing item data who were dropped from this analysis. The numbers with missing items were deemed too few to justify item imputation.

    Measured: 1 year prior to interview

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Pain Severity (Intensity, Interference With Activities, Enjoyment): PEG Scale

    PEG (Pain - Enjoyment - Interference with General Activities) pain scale consisting of the average of 3 0-10 ratings of pain intensity, interference with activities due to pain, and reduced enjoyment of life due to pain. Estimates were weighted to account for non-response, with weights based on baseline patient characteristics assessed with electronic health care data available for all chronic opioid therapy patients sampled for the survey. The PEG score ranges from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater pain severity. The number analyzed differs from the Participant Flow module due to persons with missing item data who were dropped from this analysis. The numbers with missing items were deemed too few to justify item imputation.

    Measured: 1 week prior to interview

  2. Depressive Symptoms

    Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) depression scale. The PHQ-8 is estimated by summing the 8 scale items. The total score ranges from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating greater depression severity. Estimates were weighted to account for non-response, with weights based on baseline patient characteristics assessed with electronic health care data available for all chronic opioid therapy patients sampled for the survey. The number analyzed differs from the Participant Flow module due to persons with missing item data who were dropped from this analysis. The numbers with missing items were deemed too few to justify item imputation.

    Measured: 2 weeks prior to interview

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted25 Aug 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2014
  3. Primary completionJan 2016
  4. Study completionJan 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrolment
1,588 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02224508
Sponsor's protocol ID
PCORI-1306-02198
Acronym
CARE
Status last verified
Oct 2017
First submitted
15 Aug 2014
Last updated
13 Nov 2017
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: A complete, cleaned, de-identified copy of the final dataset used in conducting the final analyses will be made available to other qualified researchers within nine months of the end of the final year of funding upon approval by the Group Health Human Subject's Review Committee. Given the complexity of the final dataset, our expectation would be that other researchers using the data would require technical assistance from our research team to understand the data and to employ appropriate methods of data analysis. Or, other researchers may prefer to have us analyze the study data to produce analyses according to their specifications. Since use of the dataset by other investigators, or analyses carried out by us for other researchers, would occur after the grant award period has ended, we will expect necessary funding of technical support, data transfers and/or data analyses to be obtained by the research team requesting access to the final dataset.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Drug Use Disorders and Drug Abuse, run by Kaiser Permanente.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Nov 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 5 May 2017). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Proportion With Prescription Opioid Use Disorder (Defined by DSM5 Criteria). (time frame: 1 year prior to interview). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Nov 2017.

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