Purpose

This prospective, interventional, open-label, phase 3 randomized study evaluates a multimodal analgesia discharge pathway to reduce automatic opioid prescribing following routine robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP). Patients are counseled on post-operative pain management and then may opt into or out of the study with randomization to discharge prescriptions including (A) multimodal plan with additional automatic opioid prescription or (B) multimodal plan alone and instruction to call phone line to request opioid prescription if pain management is insufficient. Additionally, a cohort of historical controls prior to implementation of the study is also prospectively assessed as a pre-study baseline. The primary outcome is postoperative opioid consumption. Secondary outcomes include bowel function recovery, unplanned care encounters including emergency department visits or postoperative phone calls, and same-day discharge rates.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 45 Years
Eligible Sex
Male
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Men ≥45 years old - Undergoing Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy (RALP) at BWH or BWFH - Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

  • Chronic kidney disease (baseline Cr >1.3) - NSAID contraindication/allergy - Regular opioid use or substance abuse prior to surgery - Inability to provide their own consent - Deviation from standard surgical practice for RALP (e.g. major complication requiring operative intervention that would result in patient no longer being considered a routine case)

Study Design

Phase
Phase 3
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Health Services Research
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Active Comparator
Pre-implementation historical baseline - Standard care prior to study intervention
Standard care prior to study intervention
  • Drug: pre-implementation baseline including opioid
    pre-implementation baseline including opioid
Active Comparator
Post-implementation ROPES with multimodal analgesia pathway alone
Educated on post-op pain management, multimodal analgesia scripts given but no pre-emptive opioid script (to obtain opioid after discharge patient must call phone line to request).
  • Drug: multimodal analgesia pathway without up-front small opioid prescription
    multimodal analgesia pathway without up-front small opioid prescription
Active Comparator
Post-implementation ROPES with multimodal analgesia pathway and up-front small opioid prescription
Educated on post-op pain management, multimodal analgesia scripts given and additionally given pre-emptive standard opioid script.
  • Drug: multimodal analgesia pathway with up-front small opioid prescription
    multimodal analgesia pathway including an up-front small opioid prescription

Recruiting Locations

Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston 4930956, Massachusetts 6254926 02115
Contact:
Timothy Clinton
617-732-6384
tclinton1@bwh.harvard.edu

Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital
Boston 4930956, Massachusetts 6254926 02130
Contact:
Timothy Clinton
617-732-6384
tclinton1@bwh.harvard.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Study Contact

Timothy Clinton, MD
617-732-6384
tclinton1@bwh.harvard.edu

Detailed Description

The Robotic Opioid-free Prostatectomy Enhanced Strategy (ROPES) study will implement and systematically evaluate an opioid-free discharge pathway (OFP) after robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Brigham & Women's Faulkner Hospital. Patients are counseled pre-operatively and offered participation. Data will be compared across three prospectively studied groups: pre-implementation historical baseline (current practice), post-implementation ROPES with multimodal analgesia pathway alone (which requires patients to call phone line after discharge to request opioid if pain uncontrolled), and post-implementation ROPES with multimodal analgesia pathway plus up-front small opioid prescription. Standardized multimodal analgesic therapy is provided to all participating patients following study implementation, with opioids used only as needed. There is no change to the surgery and anesthesia plan (though standard care at our center includes injection of local anesthetic to incisions and ketorolac is encouraged at end of the procedure), and patients are allowed opioids while admitted to the post-op recovery area. The study aims to reduce postoperative opioid use while maintaining safety and quality outcomes; this will assess non-inferiority of ROPES OFP in comparison to standard opioid prescribing. Results may inform wider practice change within both our center, the field of urology, and perhaps surgical care more broadly.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.