Use of a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial to test contingency management and an integrated behavioral economic and mindfulness intervention for buprenorphine-naloxone medication adherence for opioid use disorder.

BACKGROUND: Buprenorphine-naloxone is a medication shown to improve outcomes for individuals seeking treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD); however, outcomes are limited by low medication adherence rates. This is especially true during the early stages of treatment. METHODS: The present study proposes to utilize a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial design to compare two psychological interventions targeting buprenorphine-naloxone adherence: (1) contingency management (CM) and (2) brief motivational interviewing plus substance-free activities session plus mindfulness (BSM). Participants will be N = 280 adults who present to a university-based addictions clinic seeking treatment for OUD. Participants will be randomized to condition to receive 4 sessions of their assigned intervention (CM or BSM). Participants who are adherent, defined as attending physician appointments and having buprenorphine present in urine toxicology, will enter maintenance intervention for an additional 6 months. Those who are not adherent will be re-randomized to receive either the other intervention or both interventions. Follow-up will occur at 8 months post-randomization. CONCLUSIONS: This novel design will examine the benefit of sequential treatment decisions following non-adherence. The primary outcome of this study is buprenorphine-naloxone medication adherence, as assessed by physician visit attendance and presence of buprenorphine in urine. Results will elicit the relative efficacy of CM and BSM compared to one another and whether keeping the initial treatment approach when adding the alternative approach for initially non-adherent individuals is beneficial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04080180.

Planning a Change Easily (PACE) for smokers who are not ready to quit: a telephone-based, randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: To compare brief advice (BA), motivational interviewing (MI), rate reduction (RR), and combined MI and RR (MI + RR) to promote smoking cessation in smokers not ready to quit. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial with four parallel groups of smoking cessation intervention. Participants were randomly assigned 1:2:2:2 to receive one of the following interventions: BA (n = 128), MI (n = 258), RR (n = 257), and MI + RR (n = 260). SETTING: The United States. All participant contact occurred over the telephone to be consistent with the typical quit line format. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 903 adult smokers. Participants had a mean age of 49 (SD = 13.3) years and were 28.9% male and 63.3% Caucasian. INTERVENTIONS: The BA group received advice similar to typical smoking cessation quit lines. The MI group received advice using basic MI principles to elicit language that indicates behavioral change. The RR group received behavioral skills training and nicotine gum. The MI + RR group combined elements of MI and RR conditions. All interventions were six sessions. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome measure was self-reported point prevalence at 12 months. The secondary outcome was self-reported prolonged abstinence at 12 months. FINDINGS: Intention to treat (ITT) point prevalence at 12 months indicated that BA (10.9%) had significantly lower point prevalence rates than RR (27.2%, OR = 3.17, 1.69-5.94), and MI + RR (26.9%, OR = 3.16, 1.68-5.93). BA did not have a significantly lower point prevalence rate than MI (15.5%, OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 0.81-3.02). CONCLUSIONS: This randomized controlled trial provided evidence that rate reduction, which offers structured behavioral skills and nicotine gum, either alone or combined with motivational interviewing, is the most effective form of cessation intervention for smokers not ready to quit.

Opioid Use Patterns After Primary Total Knee Replacement.

Orthopedic surgeries are associated with the prescription of more narcotics than any other surgical specialty, particularly for total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. The authors examined controlled substance prescriptions following TKR surgery in a sample of 560 TKR patients. Results indicated that of all the 5164 prescriptions documented on the controlled substance monitoring database, 64% were for opioid medications. More than half of the patients received controlled substances from both the surgery site provider and a nonsurgery site provider in the year following surgery. The authors recommend that providers consider the possibility of outside prescribing when prescribing opioid analgesic.

Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors in Maltreated Children and Adolescents Receiving Forensic Assessment in a Child Advocacy Center.

Previous studies have indicated that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and other forms of child maltreatment (CM), as well as their subsequent posttraumatic symptoms, are significant risk factors for the development of disordered eating behaviors and attitudes and eating disorders (EDs). However, there are no known reports of CM based on forensic interview and assessment that have been linked to disordered eating behaviors and attitudes, or eating disorders (EDs), especially in children and adolescents. We, therefore, examined the hypothesis that ED-related symptoms would be significantly associated with trauma-related symptoms in children with reported maltreatment. Girls (n = 179, 11.9 ± 2.4 years) and boys (n = 99, 11.7 ± 2.8 years) referred for forensic assessment of alleged maltreatment completed the Kids' Eating Disorders Survey, the Eating Disorders Inventory for Children (EDI-C), the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, and the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale, among others. Significant positive correlations between most EDI-C subscale scores and most TSC-C subscale scores (PTSD, dissociation, anxiety, depression, sexual concerns) were found (p ≤.001) in the total sample and girls alone. Participants with credible, substantiated disclosures had significantly higher scores on several ED-related measures than those with non-credible, non-substantiated disclosures. Linear regression analysis indicated that PTSD and dissociative symptoms were significant predictors of EDI-C scores in those with substantiated disclosures (p ≤.001). Findings support the hypothesis that ED-related symptoms are significantly linked to authenticated CM.

Addiction Medicine Training Fellowships in North America: A Recent Assessment of Progress and Needs.

OBJECTIVES: Although unhealthy substance use and addiction contribute to 1 in 4 deaths and are estimated to cost the US more than $740 billion annually, fewer than 12 hours of physician education over the 7 years of medical school and primary residency training specifically address alcohol and other drug-related issues. Addiction Medicine was formally recognized as a medical subspecialty in 2016 to address the need for physicians trained in prevention, treatment, and management of substance use. This study examines the characteristics of the Addiction Medicine fellowships in operation during this critical period in the subspecialty's development to identify needs and potential. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional survey of Addiction Medicine Fellowship Directors from 46 fellowships accredited as of 2017 (43 in the United States and 3 in Canada). The response rate was 100%. RESULTS: Directors estimated significant growth in available fellowship slots between 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to 2018 (F = 49.584, P < .001). The majority of Directors reported that demand for their graduates was high (79.5%). Fellow training in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment spanned many substances and age groups, although fewer programs focused on nicotine and on adolescent populations. Notably, most directors reported that graduates completed waiver training to prescribe buprenorphine-naloxone (77.5%) and gained clinical experience in an opioid treatment setting (89.1%). Funding was the #1 need among 56.8% of Directors. CONCLUSIONS: Despite significant growth in Addiction Medicine fellowships over the past 6 years, meeting future workforce demands for Addiction Medicine specialists depends on access to funding to support fellowships.

A randomized pilot program to reduce opioid use following dental surgery and increase safe medication return.

Research indicates that increased cumulative exposure (duration of administration and strength of dose) is associated with long-term opioid use. Because dentists represent some of the highest opioid prescribing medical professionals in the US, dental practices offer a critical site for intervention. The current study used a randomized clinical trial design to examine the efficacy of an opioid misuse prevention program (OMPP), presented as a brief intervention immediately prior to dental extraction surgery. The OMPP provided educational counseling about risks and appropriate use of opioid medication, as well as 28 tablets of ibuprofen (200 mg) and 28 tablets of acetaminophen (500 mg) for weaning off opioid medication. This was compared with a Treatment as Usual (TAU) control condition. Participants were individuals presenting for surgery who were eligible for opioid medication (N = 76). Follow up assessment was conducted at 1 week following surgery, with 4 individuals refusing follow up or not prescribed opioid. Intent to treat analysis indicated a non-significant treatment group effect (N = 72, Beta = 0.16, p = .0835), such that the OMPP group self-reported less opioid use (in morphine milligram equivalents, MMEs) than the TAU group (37.94 vs. 47.79, effect size d = 0.42). Sensitivity analysis, excluding individuals with complications following surgery (n = 6) indicated a significant treatment group effect (N = 66, Beta = 0.24, p = .0259), such that the OMPP group self-reported significantly less MMEs than the TAU group (29.74 vs. 43.59, effect size d = 0.56). Results indicate that a 10-minute intervention and provision of non-narcotic pain medications may reduce the amount of self-administered opioid medication following dental surgery.

Planning a Change Easily (PACE): A randomized controlled trial for smokers who are not ready to quit.

Smoking cessation programs are efficacious and have been validated to assist the 10% to 30% of smokers who are ready to quit in the next 30 days. While the majority of smokers want to quit smoking in the future, only 69% are planning to quit within the next year. Planning a Change Easily (PACE) is a nation-wide, telephone-based comparative effectiveness, randomized controlled trial for smokers not ready to quit (SNRTQ). This project, as well as its intervention components, outcomes, and hypotheses are discussed. This study will compare the effectiveness of four intervention conditions that could potentially help SNRTQ to quit smoking: Brief Advice, Motivational Interviewing, Rate Reduction, and Motivational Interviewing plus Rate Reduction combined. Rate Reduction conditions will include the provision of nicotine replacement therapy in the form of gum. Approximately 840 participants will be recruited and randomized to the four intervention conditions. The main outcomes for this study include self-report prolonged and point prevalence abstinence with biochemical verification of cessation. Secondary outcomes include quit attempts, cost-per-quit, and cost-effectiveness analyses. Informed by evidenced-based interventions, strong clinical guidelines, and economic analysis, PACE has the potential for significant public health impact. Results could readily be disseminated and translated to tobacco quitlines, which are present in all 50 states and are offered free to the public.

Infant Positioning, Baby Gear Use, and Cranial Asymmetry.

Objectives This study aimed to identify predictors of cranial asymmetry. We hypothesize that among infants diagnosed with cranial asymmetry in the sampled region, there is an association between exposure to more time in baby gear and less awake time in prone and side-lying than in infants who do not present with this condition. Methods The study employed a cross sectional survey of caregivers of typically developing infants and infants diagnosed with cranial asymmetry. Results A mutivariable model reveals that caregivers of children who are diagnosed with cranial asymmetry report their children spending significantly less time in prone play than those children without a diagnosis of cranial asymmetry. Side-lying and time spent in baby gear did not attain statistical significance. Conclusions for Practice Occupational therapists, physical therapists, pediatricians, nurses and other health care professionals must provide parents with early education about the importance of varying positions and prone play in infancy and address fears and concerns that may serve as barriers to providing prone playtime.