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Computer alerts aim to curb opioid abuse in colorado hospitals

NCT ID NCT04918355

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Colorado, Denver 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether pop-up alerts in electronic medical records help doctors check a state database before prescribing opioids or sedatives. Over 3,600 providers were randomly assigned to different alert designs. The goal was to see if the alerts increase use of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and reduce high-risk prescriptions.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Clinical decision support (CDS) alerts
What this could lead to
If successful, this could show that simple computer alerts help doctors make safer prescribing decisions and reduce the risk of medication abuse.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study comparing different alert designs, not testing a new drug or treatment. The results may not apply to other health systems or states.

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.

Participants

3,635 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Feb 2021

Finished

Nov 2023

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.

Who is studied

Provider population: Health care providers in Colorado who work in the University of Colorado Health (UCHealth) system. Patient population: Residents and visitors to the state of Colorado who seek healthcare within the UCHealth system.

Ages

12 to 89 years

Sex

Anyone

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.

Two populations are included in the study description. Providers and the patients seen by those providers. Providers are randomized to one of the four groups described previously. Provider Inclusion Criteria: * Licensed health care providers within the UCHealth system with a history (previous year) of prescribing opioids and/or benzodiazepines. Provider Exclusion Criteria: * Majority of prescribing is done at a facility outside the state of Colorado * Provider specialty of oncology or pediatrics as recorded in the EHR * Provider in an ambulatory clinic where a total of \<50 opioid or benzodiazepine prescriptions were written in the year before study initiation Patient Inclusion Criteria: * Patient seen by a randomized provider within the UCHealth system who may receive an opioid prescription Patient Exclusion Criteria: * Less than 12 years of age or greater than 89 years of age at the time of the first study associated visit * Active oncology or sickle cell diagnosis * Active end of life care (defined as discharge to hospice or palliative care facility or specific palliative care orders in the medical record)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

substance abuse substance-related disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Medication abuse

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Colorado Hospital

    Aurora, Colorado, 80045, United States

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