A Multi-centre Survey on Tramadol Abuse in Singapore

• Conditions: Opioid Abuse

• Registration Number: NCT04813458
• Lead Sponsor: Singapore General Hospital

Brief Summary

The rampant prescription of opioid has in part contributed to the ongoing worldwide opioid crisis. In the United States of America, it is estimated that death from the use of opioids outnumber death from motor vehicle accident deaths by more than 40%. Consequently, many countries such as America and Canada have drawn up guidelines pertaining to safe opioid prescribing.

Tramadol is often used by pain physicians to treat chronic pain. As it is a weak opioid and unscheduled in many countries, it is often considered to have a lower addiction potential compared to strong opioids. Despite this, the literature does reveal evidence of abuse, addiction and withdrawal - although the incidence of this is unclear.

In this study, the investigators aim to determine the prevalence of tramadol misuse in a pain clinic population. The investigators also aim to determine the real-life compliance of physicians to guidelines provided by International regulatory bodies (CDC) and the modifiable risk factors associated with tramadol misuse.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2020-12-01
• Status Verified: 2021-03
• Study First Submitted: 2021-03-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-03-21
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-03-21
• Study First Posted: 2021-03-24
• Last Update Posted: 2021-03-24
• Primary Completion: 2021-07-31
• Study Completion: 2021-08-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 1000

Inclusion Criteria

• All patients attending pain clinic in Singapore General Hospital, Seng Kang General Hospital and Changi General Hospital

Exclusion Criteria

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM)	Baseline	The primary outcome is the prevalence of Current Opioid Misuse (defined as a COMM score of 9 or greater) in the patients included in the cross-sectional study (ie patients who are on tramadol)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Opioid Risk Tool (ORT)	Baseline	ORT measures the risk of future opioid abuse. A score of equal or less than 3 correlates with a low risk of opioid abuse. Scores of 4 to 7 indicates moderate risk and scores above 8 represents high risk.ORT scores will be performed on all patients to determine the risk of future opioid misuse among patients prescribed tramadol.
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)	Baseline	PHQ-9 measures depression with scores of 5-9, 10-14,15-19 and 20 or higher representing mild, moderate , moderate to severe and severe depression. PHQ-9 scores will be performed on all patients to determine the level of depression among patients prescribed tramadol.
General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7)	Baseline	GAD-7 measures anxiety with scores of 5, 10 and 15 representing mild, moderate and severe anxiety. GAD-7 scores will be performed on all patients to determine the level of anxiety among patients prescribed tramadol.

Trial Locations

Locations (3)

Seng Kang General Hospital; 🇸🇬 Singapore, Singapore

Changi General Hospital; 🇸🇬 Singapore, Singapore

Singapore General Hospital; 🇸🇬 Singapore, Singapore