Safer opioid tapering after hospital discharge for orthopedic surgery patients
Official title: Opioid Tapering After Hospital Discharge: Testing an Intervention to Improve Post-operative
Run by Montefiore Medical Center · NCT07510373 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial will test an EHR-based program that prompts surgeons to write a patient-specific opioid taper, provides a take-home handout, and offers post-discharge phone support for adults after orthopedic surgery who were not taking opioids before surgery.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 42 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Montefiore Medical Center Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (The Bronx, New York) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | April 12, 2026 |
| Main results expected | April 2028 |
| Study ends | April 2028 |
| Registry record updated | May 11, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07510373 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults (≥18) having inpatient orthopedic surgery at the Montefiore Wakefield Campus who were not using prescription opioids in the month before surgery are the intended participants.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with recent opioid use disorder, recent cancer care, on hospice, those who used opioids preoperatively, or who cannot manage medications or consent by phone (non-English speakers for Aim 2) are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Providers are randomized in a step-wedge design to receive a discharge opioid taper support (DOTS) workflow embedded in the EHR or usual telephonic support, with DOTS delivering a patient-specific taper recommendation, an automated discharge prescription that the provider can override, a patient handout, and post-discharge phone follow-up. The trial extracts EHR prescribing and clinical data and conducts telephone surveys of about 100 patients over 12 weeks after discharge to capture patient-reported outcomes and opioid use. Eligible patients are adults undergoing inpatient orthopedic surgery with no opioid prescriptions in the prior month, excluding those with recent opioid use disorder, cancer, or hospice care. The intervention is implemented at Montefiore Wakefield Campus and measures whether DOTS reduces excess opioid prescribing and leftover pills compared with usual practices.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, DOTS could reduce excess opioid prescriptions and leftover pills after surgery, lowering patients' risk of long-term opioid use and related harms.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows EHR prompts and standardized discharge prescriptions can reduce opioid quantities after surgery, but combining automated taper prescriptions with patient handouts and post-discharge phone support is a more novel, less extensively tested approach.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria (Aim 1): * Age ≥ 18 years * Any orthopedic surgery during hospitalization * No pre-operative opioid use (no opioids in EHR in past 1 month) Exclusion Criteria (Aim 1): * Opioid Use Disorder \[by International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10), in past 6 months} * Cancer (by ICD-10, in past 6 months) * Receiving hospice care (by ICD-10, in past 6 months) Inclusion Criteria (Aim 2): * Meets criteria for inclusion in Aim 1 Exclusion Criteria (Aim 2): * Not fluent in English * Do not manage their own medications * Unable to provide consent over the phone * Orthopedic surgery due to cancer-related bone disease * No pre-operative opioid use (no opioids per New York state prescription drug monitoring program in past 1 month)
Where it's running
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Montefiore Wakefield Campus
The Bronx, New York, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Justina Groeger, MD — Montefiore Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Justina Groeger, MD
- Email: jugroege@montefiore.org
- Phone: 718-920-5387
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.