Study Examines How Often Adults With Opioid Use Disorder Begin And Stay On Treatment

Background and goal: Opioid usage upset (OUD) medicine curen saves lives, yet less than one-third of group pinch OUD person evidence-based curen pinch medication. Researchers examined really often adults who study opioid usage and mean aliases terrible substance-use symptoms begin, and enactment on, OUD medication.

Study approach: Researchers reviewed physics wellness grounds and security claims information from 33 superior attraction clinics successful Washington from March 1, 2015, to Jan. 1, 2023. The study included 1,502 adults who, astatine aliases conscionable earlier a superior attraction visit, completed a substance-use checklist, said they had utilized opioids successful nan past year, and had not received OUD medicine successful nan anterior 30 days. Treatment initiation was defined arsenic receiving buprenorphine, methadone, aliases injectable naltrexone wrong 14 days of nan checklist; engagement meant astatine slightest 1 further dose successful nan adjacent 34 days.

Main results

• Of nan 1,502 patients, 80 (5%) had mean symptoms of constituent usage upset and 542 (36%) patients had terrible symptoms. 

• Among patients pinch mean symptoms, 10% (8 patients) initiated medicine treatment, and 75% (6 patients) remained engaged successful nan pursuing month. 

• Among patients pinch terrible symptoms, 26% (141 patients) initiated medicine treatment, and 76% of those patients (108) remained engaged successful nan pursuing month. These patients were importantly much apt to initiate and stay engaged compared to those pinch mean symptoms.

• Overall, astir superior attraction patients who reported opioid usage and mean aliases terrible constituent usage upset symptoms did not initiate opioid usage upset medicine treatment. However, astir patients who did initiate medicine curen remained engaged successful nan pursuing month.

Why it matters: Routine screening unsocial did not move astir patients pinch clear OUD symptoms into lifesaving treatment. While patients were consenting to study usage of opioids and constituent usage symptoms connected nan checklist, usage of nan checklist will apt request to beryllium paired pinch robust implementation strategies and different proactive, patient-centered, population-based systems to prosecute patients successful medicine curen for OUD.