ADVERTISEMENT
Treatment Retention Improves for OUD Patients Who Engage in 2 Outpatient Visits in First Month
Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) who engage in multiple outpatient visits within their first month of treatment are far more likely to remain engaged in treatment after 6 months and greatly reduce their risk of relapse and/or overdose, according a study conducted by researchers at Rutgers University.
Findings were published this week in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The study used data from 2011 to 2019 from a multisite buprenorphine clinic operating in 8 states. The patient population studied included nearly 20,000 individuals and was predominately male and non-Hispanic, a sample broadly representative of the individuals nationwide who are using buprenorphine for OUD treatment, according to previous research.
Of the patients who participated in multiple outpatient visits within their first month of treatment, 47% remained in their program for at least 6 months. Meanwhile, just 2.9% of those who did not engage in at least 2 outpatient visits in their first month of treatment remained in treatment after 6 months.
“This finding is critically meaningful and could guide intervention development to prioritize stabilization of high-risk patients early in treatment,” Arthur Robin Williams, lead author of the study and an assistant professor at Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, said in a news release. “Without early engagement, the great majority of patients will be lost to relapse and possible death.”
The study’s findings align with the views of organizations such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which cite care coordination and peer navigation services as vital components early in recovery to stabilize patients and avoid losing them in follow-up.
Reference
