Challenges of enrolling participants with alcohol and opioid use disorders in the emergency department for clinical trials of ketamine: The experience from two randomized controlled trials.
General hospital psychiatry January 1, 2026 P R Chai, E Lee, M A Hasdianda et al.
Conducting double-blind placebo-controlled trials of ketamine for alcohol and opioid use disorders in the emergency department is extremely difficult. Over the study period, 180 individuals with alcohol use disorder were screened but none were eligible to enroll. Of 234 emergency department visits for opioid use disorder, only 8 were eligible, 4 consented, and all 4 were randomized and treated with ketamine or placebo, but none completed follow-up. The findings reinforce the need for innovative strategies to conduct such trials in this population.