Conditions: Heartburn
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 64
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
The overall aim of this study is to assess if patients with persistent gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms receiving sub-optimal omeprazole dosing experience improvement in GERD symptoms when prescribed an optimal dosing regimen. The optimal dosing regimen is defined as taking omeprazole 30 minutes prior to the first meal of the day.

Detailed description:
GERD remains a common gastrointestinal complaint, resulting in 6% of outpatient visits. The economic burden is significant with direct costs exceeding $12 billion/year and indirect cost as high as $75 billion/year. The primary aim of this study was determine whether a brief educational intervention optimizing proton pump inhibitor (PPI) dosing would reduce GERD symptoms using the gastroesophageal reflux disease symptom assessment scale (GSAS) questionnaire. Further, secondary analysis would utilize the results of the trial and combine them with costs related to uncontrolled GERD to estimated the potential economic impact.

Arms:
arm 1: No change will be made to the sub-optimal dosing regimen of omeprazole 20 mg. Rescue antacid use is permitted. Total duration of 6 weeks. arm 2: Patients will be administered optimal dosing regimen of Omeprazole 20 mg for 4 weeks starting at week 2. Rescue antacid use is permitted. Total duration of 6 weeks.

Interventions: intervention 1: Optimal Dosing of Omeprazole
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Omeprazole 20 mg

Protocol document: