Trial Applying Policy to Eliminate or Reduce Inappropriate Narcotics in the General-population (TAPERING)

University Institute of Geriatrics of Montreal (IUGM)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Inappropriate Dose of Drug Administered; Pain, Chronic; Health Behavior

Treatments: Other: Direct-to-consumer educational brochure

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03400384

CIHR 201506PHSI-337814-MB

Details and patient eligibility

About

To assess the effectiveness of a government-led population-based opioid intervention on discontinuation of opioid medication in community-dwelling adults with chronic non-cancer pain.

Enrollment: 4,255 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Adults registered to receive pharmaceutical benefits in Manitoba, who are aged 18 years and over and who have received ≥90 days supply of opioids in the 6 months prior to the trial will be included. This will ensure chronic use and episodic use of opioids will be included.

Exclusion criteria

• People receiving palliative care, people with cancer, and people who receive opioids in hospital. People with dementia (identified by having received a prescription for memantine or a cholinersterase inhibitor in the previous 12 months) will be excluded.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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4,255 participants in 2 patient groups

Direct-to-consumer educational brochure

Experimental group

Description:

The intervention arm will be mailed an evidence-based, theory-driven direct-to-consumer educational brochure, highlighting the potential benefits and harms of opioids when used to treat chronic non-cancer pain.

Treatment:

Other: Direct-to-consumer educational brochure

Control wait list

No Intervention group

Description:

This arm will receive the intervention at the completion of the six-month follow-up period for the intervention group.