Overview
Communication issues between patients and doctors can get in the way of patients getting the right care at the right time for their chronic pain problems. In this study, we will compare two widely used approaches to foster patient-doctor communication: the use of reminders for doctors embedded in the electronic health record and patient education. Both methods are based on evidence, but they have never been compared to one another.
Study Design
We will compare the effectiveness of the two interventions in patients with an opioid prescription of six weeks or longer. We will follow patients for one year. The primary outcomes of this study are pain interference — how pain interferes with a patient's daily life — and satisfaction with patient-physician communication.