Lowering long-term opioid use after community surgery using a transitional pain service
Official title: Reducing Chronic Opioid Use Among Veterans Undergoing Community Care Surgery Using a Transitional Pain Service
Funded at VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System · NIH-11280837 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses a virtual transitional pain team to help Veterans who have surgery at non-VA hospitals avoid becoming long-term opioid users.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003599-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11280837 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Veterans scheduled for orthopedic surgery through VA Community Care who are at higher risk for prolonged opioid use and who receive surgery at non-VA hospitals are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
Veterans who receive all surgical care and follow-up inside VA hospitals, those having non-orthopedic procedures, or people already on chronic opioid therapy may not gain benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you are a Veteran getting orthopedic surgery through VA Community Care at a non-VA hospital, the team will offer a coordinated transitional pain service delivered by telehealth around the time of your operation. The multidisciplinary team will create a pain plan before surgery, follow up after discharge, and offer alternatives to prolonged opioid prescriptions. Researchers will track opioid prescriptions and recovery over time using VA records and remote visits to compare outcomes with usual care. The goal is to improve pain coordination between VA and community providers and reduce chronic opioid use after surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lower the chance you need long-term opioid medications after surgery and improve coordinated pain care across VA and non-VA settings.
How similar studies have gone: Transitional Pain Services have reduced chronic opioid use after orthopedic surgery in VA settings before, but delivering a virtual TPS for Veterans treated at non-VA hospitals is a new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System
Salt Lake City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brooke, Benjamin S. — VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Brooke, Benjamin S.
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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.