Reimagining patient-centered care in opioid treatment programs: Lessons from the Bronx during COVID-19.

Opioid treatment programs (OTPs) operate within a rigid set of clinical guidelines and regulations that specify the number of required OTP visits for supervised administration of methadone. To ensure physical distancing in light of COVID-19, the federal government loosened regulations to allow for additional flexibility. As OTP providers in the Bronx, NY, caring for more than 3600 patients in the epicenter of both the overdose and COVID-19 pandemics, we describe how our clinical practice changed with COVID-19. We halted toxicology testing, and to promote physical distancing and prevent interruptions in access to treatment for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), we drastically increased unsupervised take-home doses of MOUD. Within two weeks, we reduced the proportion of patients with 5-6 OTP visits per week from 47.2% to 9.4%. To guide treatment decision-making, we shifted focus from toxicology tests to other patient-centered measures, such as engagement in care and patient goals. In the initial three months, our patients experienced six nonfatal overdoses, no fatal overdoses, and 20 deaths attributable to COVID-19. This experience provides an opportunity to re-imagine care in OTPs going forward. We advocate that OTPs rely less on toxicology testing and more on the other patient-centered measures to guide decisions about distribution of take-home doses of MOUD. To minimize financial risk to OTPs and facilitate their transition to a more flexible model of care, we advocate for the reassessment of OTP reimbursement models.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Buprenorphine/Naloxone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Clinical Feasibility and Optimizing Assay Precision.

INTRODUCTION: Compliance with sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone (SL-BUP/NX) is associated with higher abstinence from illicit opioid use. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has been recommended for adherence monitoring of buprenorphine (BUP) maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), but to date there have been no reported clinical applications. In this TDM feasibility study, we investigated BUP assay precision in 15 adults with OUD who had been stabilized on buprenorphine/naloxone. METHODS: Using solid phase extraction, BUP recovery was contrasted at 100 mMol and 1 Molar of acetic acid wash solution. Precision was determined by applying the condition generating highest recovery using 0.2 ng/mL and 10 ng/mL standards. Four blood samples were drawn to examine the BUP peak and trough plasma concentrations, and BUP elimination rate was estimated. BUP recovery was examined again in a random sample and contrasted with the concentration predicted applying first-order kinetics. RESULTS: Higher BUP recovery was achieved with 1 Molar wash (94.3%; p=0.05). Precision ranged from 15-20%. The estimated limit of detection (LoD) and limit of quantitation (LoQ) were 0.02 and 0.069 ng/mL, respectively. BUP peak and trough concentrations were successfully examined, and BUP trough concentrations were replicated confirming steady state. BUP concentrations were predicted at a variance of -7.20% to 1.54 %. CONCLUSIONS: TDM for BUP maintenance treatment of OUD is feasible, and simple adjustment of the assay conditions enhances BUP recovery.

Persisting gaps in M-OUD coverage at post-discharge recovery houses necessitate our continued advocacy.

Effective treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) must target both the medical and psychosocial aspects of a patient's condition. This, in turn, requires a collaboration between medical providers and social supports. We would like to illustrate a key difficulty in this collaboration for some patients in our country: many post-discharge recovery houses continue to refuse to allow patients to remain on medication treatment for OUD (M-OUD). This barrier to M-OUD access in recovery houses is a significant obstacle to effective OUD treatment.

Perspectives on the HIV continuum of care among adult opioid users in New York City: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Engagement in the HIV care continuum combined with office-based opioid treatment remains a cornerstone in addressing the intertwined epidemics of opioid use disorder (OUD) and HIV/AIDS. Factors influencing patient engagement with OUD and HIV care are complex and require further study. METHODS: In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted among 23 adult patients who use drugs (PWUD) in an inpatient detoxification program in New York City. The semi-structured interview guide elicited participant experiences with various phases of the HIV care continuum, including factors influencing access to HIV care, interactions with HIV and primary care providers, preferences around integrated care approaches for OUD and HIV, and barriers experienced beyond clinical settings which affected access to HIV care (e.g., insurance issues, transportation, cost, retrieving prescriptions from their pharmacy). Data collection and thematic analysis took place concurrently using an iterative process-based established qualitative research method. RESULTS: Respondents elicited high acceptability for integrated or co-located care for HIV and OUD in primary care. Factors influencing engagement in HIV care included (1) access to rapid point-of-care HIV testing and counseling services, (2) insurance coverage and costs related to HIV testing and receipt of antiretroviral therapy (ART), (3) primary care providers offering HIV care and buprenorphine, (4) illicit ART sales to pharmacies, (5) disruption in supplies of ART following admissions to inpatient detoxification or residential treatment programs, (6) in-person and telephone contact with peer support networks and clinic staff, (7) stigma, and (8) access to administrative support in primary care to facilitate reengagement with care following relapse, behavioral health services, transportation vouchers, and relocation from subsidized housing exposing patients to actively using peers. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest expanding clinical and administrative support in primary care for PWUDs with patient navigators, case managers, mobile health interventions, and peer support networks to promote linkage and retention in care.

Acceptability of safe drug consumption spaces among people who inject drugs in rural West Virginia.

AIM: Safe consumption spaces (SCS) are indoor environments in which people can use drugs with trained personnel on site to provide overdose reversal and risk reduction services. SCS have been shown to reduce fatal overdoses, decrease public syringe disposal, and reduce public drug consumption. Existing SCS research in the USA has explored acceptability for the hypothetical use of SCS, but primarily among urban populations of people who inject drugs (PWID). Given the disproportionate impact of the opioid crisis in rural communities, this research examines hypothetical SCS acceptability among a rural sample of PWID in West Virginia. METHODS: Data were drawn from a 2018 cross-sectional survey of PWID (n = 373) who reported injection drug use in the previous 6 months and residence in Cabell County, West Virginia. Participants were asked about their hypothetical use of a SCS with responses dichotomized into two groups, likely and unlikely SCS users. Chi-square and t tests were conducted to identify differences between likely and unlikely SCS users across demographic, substance use, and health measures. RESULTS: Survey participants were 59.5% male, 83.4% non-Hispanic White, and 79.1% reported likely hypothetical SCS use. Hypothetical SCS users were significantly (p < .05) more likely to have recently (past 6 months) injected cocaine (38.3% vs. 25.7%), speedball (41.0% vs. 24.3%), and to report preferring drugs containing fentanyl (32.5% vs. 20.3%). Additionally, likely SCS users were significantly more likely to have recently experienced an overdose (46.8% vs. 32.4%), witnessed an overdose (78.3% vs. 60.8%), and received naloxone (51.2% vs. 37.8%). Likely SCS users were less likely to have borrowed a syringe from a friend (34.6% vs. 48.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Rural PWID engaging in high-risk behaviors perceive SCS as an acceptable harm reduction strategy. SCS may be a viable option to reduce overdose fatalities in rural communities.

Pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance are associated with pain severity and interference among methadone-maintained patients.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined whether pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance, two important targets of psychosocial interventions for chronic pain, are uniquely associated with pain severity and pain interference among patients on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). METHOD: A total of 133 MMT patients who reported experiencing some pain during the previous week completed a battery of self-report measures. Multiple regression was used to test whether pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance are related to pain severity and pain interference above and beyond covariates including demographics, emotional distress, and current methadone dose. RESULTS: Both pain acceptance and catastrophizing were significantly associated with pain severity and pain interference while controlling for covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with previous literature on patients with chronic pain but without opioid use disorder, our findings suggest that both pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance are potentially important intervention targets among MMT patients with co-occurring opioid use disorder and chronic pain.

Justice involvement patterns, overdose experiences, and naloxone knowledge among men and women in criminal justice diversion addiction treatment.

BACKGROUND: Persons in addiction treatment are likely to experience and/or witness drug overdoses following treatment and thus could benefit from overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) programs. Diverting individuals from the criminal justice system to addiction treatment represents one treatment engagement pathway, yet OEND needs among these individuals have not been fully described. METHODS: We characterized justice involvement patterns among 514 people who use opioids (PWUO) participating in a criminal justice diversion addiction treatment program during 2014-2016 using a gender-stratified latent class analysis. We described prevalence and correlates of naloxone knowledge using quasi-Poisson regression models with robust standard errors. RESULTS: Only 56% of participants correctly identified naloxone as an opioid overdose treatment despite that 68% had experienced an overdose and 79% had witnessed another person overdose. We identified two latent justice involvement classes: low involvement (20.3% of men, 46.5% of women), characterized by older age at first arrest, more past-year arrests, and less time incarcerated; and high involvement (79.7% of men, 53.5% of women), characterized by younger age at first arrest and more lifetime arrests and time incarcerated. Justice involvement was not associated with naloxone knowledge. Male participants who had personally overdosed more commonly identified naloxone as an overdose treatment after adjustment for age, race, education level, housing status, heroin use, and injection drug use (prevalence ratio [95% confidence interval]: men 1.5 [1.1-2.0]). CONCLUSIONS: All PWUO in criminal justice diversion programs could benefit from OEND given the high propensity to experience and witness overdoses and low naloxone knowledge across justice involvement backgrounds and genders.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among opioid-dependent patients in agonist treatment. A diagnostic study.

AIMS: To estimate the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and related risk factors in people in opioid agonist treatment (OAT), to compare airflow limitation severity and age-specific COPD prevalence rates with those in the general population, and to assess the OAT patients' willingness to adopt life-style changes and to use therapeutic offers for COPD management. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study in a random sample of OAT patients. SETTING: Out-patient centres for substance addiction medicine in Zurich, Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 125 participants, recruited from November 2016 to April 2017 through invitation letters followed by phone or personal contact. MEASUREMENTS: Standardized questionnaires about drug use, smoking habits and medical history, completed during face-to-face interviews or from medical records. Spirometry without and-depending on the result-with bronchodilation. FINDINGS: Almost one-third [30.3%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 22.6-39.0%] of the 119 participants with valid spirometry tests were diagnosed with COPD. Among males aged 30-59 years, the age-adjusted prevalence of at least moderate airflow limitation (GOLD grade ≥ 2) was 2.4 (95% CI = 1.3-4.4) times as high as in the ever-smoking Swiss population in the same age group. Smoking tobacco (92.0%) and substance inhalation (cannabis = 97.6%, cocaine = 69.6%, heroin = 68.0%) were highly prevalent among all participants. The participants expressed considerable interest in life-style changes and use of therapeutic offers for COPD management, with smoking cessation being least (20.2% of tobacco smokers interested) and pharmacological treatment to alleviate COPD symptoms most popular. CONCLUSIONS: In Switzerland, COPD prevalence and multiple risk factors for COPD appear to be high among people in OAT compared with the general population. Individuals in OAT appear to develop COPD at a younger average age compared with the general population and are open to life-style changes and other COPD management approaches.

Twenty years of the methadone treatment protocol in Ireland: reflections on the role of general practice.

BACKGROUND: Opioid dependence, characterised by socio economic disadvantage and significant morbidity and mortality, remains a major public health problem in Ireland. Through the methadone treatment protocol (MTP), Irish general practice has been a leader in the introduction and expansion of Irish harm reduction services, including opioid substitution treatment (OST), needle and syringe programs (NSP) and naloxone provision. These services have been effective in engaging opiate users in treatment, reducing human deficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission and reducing-drug related morbidities. Challenges remain in relation to choice of substitution treatments, timely access to OST services, adequate coverage of NSP, naloxone provision and increasing drug-related deaths. METHODS: A narrative review was conducted and designed to present a broad perspective on the Irish MTP and to describe its history and development in terms of clinical care, stakeholder views and changing trends. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the analysis; The History of the Methadone Treatment Protocol, Service User and Provider Views and Challenges and Developments. Despite the initial concern about methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in Ireland, increased participation by Irish GPs in the treatment of opioid dependence is observed over the last two decades. There are now over 10,000 people on methadone treatment in Ireland, with 40% treated in general practice. The MTP provides structure, remuneration and guidance to GPs and is underpinned by training, ongoing education and a system of quality assurance provided by the Irish College of General Practice (ICGP). Challenges include the negative views of patients around how methadone services are delivered, the stigma associated with methadone treatment, the lack of choice around substitution medication, waiting lists for treatment in certain areas and rates of fatal overdose. CONCLUSION: Twenty years of the MTP has been the mainstay of harm reduction services in Ireland. It has provided a network of specially trained GPs who provide methadone to over 10,000 patients across Ireland within a structured framework of training, quality assurance and remuneration. With the ongoing commitment of Irish specialists in the field of addiction medicine, further improvements to support and treat patients can be made.