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Doctor alert letters aim to curb opioid overprescribing

NCT ID NCT04758637

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Southern California Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether sending letters to doctors about their patients' opioid overdoses would reduce how often they prescribe strong painkillers. Researchers looked at 61 clinicians who had prescribed opioids to patients who later had a non-fatal or fatal overdose. The goal was to see if making the harm more visible would encourage safer prescribing.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
overdose notification letter
What this could lead to
If effective, this approach could help reduce unnecessary opioid prescriptions and prevent future overdoses.
What could go wrong
This is a small, completed trial with 61 clinicians. The intervention is behavioral and may not work in all settings or sustain long-term effects.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

61 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jan 2023

Finished

Mar 2024

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * 1\) The clinician prescribed a qualifying scheduled drug to a patient in the 12 months prior to their non-fatal or fatal overdose 2) the patient is 18 years old or older at the time of the overdose, 3) the provider practices within a health system enrolled in the study, and 4) the overdose occurs during the 12-month observation period. Qualifying prescriptions include those for one of the following scheduled drugs: opioids, benzodiazepines, muscle relaxants or sedative-hypnotics. Exclusion Criteria: * Prescriptions to patients in hospice or with active cancer

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

opiate dependence opioid abuse

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Opioid abuse

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Northwestern University

    Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States

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