Clinic nudges to help people with insomnia sleep better
Study in Outpatient Medicine using Nudges to improve Sleep: The SOMNUS Trial
This project uses small electronic nudges in clinic records to encourage safer insomnia treatments and reduce risky sleep drug use for adults with insomnia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11146512 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This work will add brief, choice-preserving prompts (nudges) into outpatient electronic health records so clinicians are more likely to offer behavioral treatments like CBT-I bibliotherapy and sleep apps instead of long-term z-drug prescriptions. Researchers will use computer microsimulation to predict the long-term health effects of the nudging approach and will refine the messages and workflow to fit routine clinic practice. Then they will run a randomized trial across about 60 U.S. outpatient clinics to compare usual care with clinics using the nudges. The trial focuses on small, low-burden changes so appointments and clinician workflows remain familiar while testing whether safer care increases.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults seen in participating outpatient clinics who have chronic insomnia or who currently take or are being considered for long-term z-drug prescriptions are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People whose insomnia is already well-controlled without sedative-hypnotics or those requiring immediate medication for severe sleep disorders may not see direct benefit from the nudges.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce long-term use of risky sedative-hypnotics and increase patient access to safer behavioral treatments, lowering falls, cognitive harm, and dangerous parasomnias.
How similar studies have performed: Other electronic health record nudge studies have successfully changed clinician prescribing in areas like antibiotics and opioids, but applying nudges specifically to shift care away from z-drugs toward CBT-I is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, UNITED STATES
- University of Southern California — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Doctor, Jason N. — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Doctor, Jason N.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.