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Developing an Opioid Taper Intervention Before Total Joint Arthroplasty

Developing and Testing an Opioid Taper Intervention Before Total Knee Arthroplasty: Phase 2 Intervention Development

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05788016
Enrollment
45
Registered
2023-03-28
Start date
2024-01-10
Completion date
2027-07-01
Last updated
2026-05-29

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Arthritis Hip, Arthritis Knee, Chronic Pain

Keywords

Opioids

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to develop an pharmacist-led preoperative opioid taper intervention for patients undergoing total knee or hip replacement who are on chronic opioids before their surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the intervention feasible and acceptable to patients? * Does the intervention result in a decrease in opioid dose during the preoperative period? Participants will meet with a clinical pharmacist, who will provide some basic education on pain and opioids, and will propose an opioid taper schedule. The pharmacist will then follow-up with the participant by phone each week until surgery to assess progress and adjust the taper as necessary.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALopioid taper

The participant will attempt to taper their opioid dose by \~50% during the 4-6 week preoperative period

Sponsors

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* decided to pursue primary, unilateral total knee or hip arthroplasty with planned surgery date in 4-8 weeks * currently taking between 20 and 90 MME of oral opioids, and that dose has been stable for at least 3 months * have a reliable telephone number for contact * speaks English

Exclusion criteria

* Taking opioid medications that include: * Buprenorphine * Methadone * Long-acting formulations of opioid pain medications (e.g., extended-release oxycodone and extended-release morphine) * Transdermal formations of opioid pain medications (e.g., fentanyl patches)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
AcceptabilityFrom enrollment until approximately 2 weeks after surgeryMixed-methods assessment of the intervention by participants. Participants will provide qualitative feedback at multiple points during and after the intervention, and will quantitatively rate satisfaction at the end of the study. These results will be analyzed jointly to determine acceptability.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Study Recruitment RateFrom enrollment until approximately 2 weeks after surgeryIn order to assess feasibility of the taper intervention, we will track the proportion of participants who are offered enrollment that ultimately enroll (will be measured separately for those offered enrollment in person and those who are mailed information about the study)
Study Retention RateFrom enrollment until approximately 2 weeks after surgeryIn order to assess feasibility of the taper intervention, we will track the proportion of enrolled participants who complete the final study visit.
Taper EfficacyFrom enrollment until the time of surgerychange in opioid dose from enrollment through surgery
Perioperative PainFrom enrollment until approximately 2 weeks after surgerypain scores throughout the perioperative period

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTKevin R Riggs, MD
kriggs@uabmc.edu205-934-0778
CONTACTShakristal Williams
shakristalwilliams@uabmc.edu205-934-2304
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORKevin R Riggs, MD

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 30, 2026