Patient experiences with telehealth treatment for opioid use disorder in Alabama.
J Subst Use Addict Treat
; 165: 209451, 2024 Jul 01.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38960146
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Telehealth-only provision of buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) was first made possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Alabama instituted a law in July 2022 that mandated an annual in-person visit in order to receive this treatment. In July 2023, our usually telehealth-only group established a temporary clinic in Birmingham to meet this requirement.METHODS:
The study administered a survey instrument to patients at the time of clinic check-in.RESULTS:
158 of 160 (98.8 %) patients completed the survey. Mean distance traveled was 86.4 (standard deviation (SD) 53.7) miles; time required for travel was mean 1.6 (SD 1.0) hours. Twenty-five patients (15.8 %) reported needing to find childcare to attend the visit and 40 patients (25.3 %) reported missing work to attend. Patients disagreed (median 2 on 1-5 Likert scale, interquartile range (IQR) <1-3>) that it is important to see their provider in-person, that seeing their provider in-person improves care or improves their ability to succeed in treatment, and that they have other OUD treatment resources in their community. Patients strongly agreed (median 5, IQR <5-5>) that OUD can be treated by telehealth without the need for an in-person visit.CONCLUSIONS:
An annual in-person visits requirement to receive telehealth OUD services imposed a significant burden on patients, was not desired by patients, and may be associated with harm.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Subst Use Addict Treat
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article