How to Help Clinicians Initiate Medication Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder

This study suggests that few emergency department clinicians feel ready to prescribe buprenorphine for OUD, but providing local protocols and training might help.

Medication therapy for opioid use disorder (OUD) has been demonstrated to mitigate withdrawal symptoms, reduce relapses and overdoses, and save lives. However, emergency department (ED) initiation of buprenorphine treatment for OUD remains underutilized. To assess drivers of underutilization, researchers surveyed clinicians and conducted focus groups at four academic urban EDs.

Among 258 respondents, only 20.9% felt ready to prescribe buprenorphine and only 3.5% had completed training to do so. The primary perceived barriers to initiation of buprenorphine in the ED were lack of training and experience, concern about availability of outpatient follow-up, the busy ED environment with multiple competing priorities, and the DEA X-waiver. Perceiv…

Reviewing Author

Lauren M. Westafer, DO, MPH, MS

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Editorial BoardsAnnals of Emergency Medicine

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAcademy for Academic Women in Emergency Medicine (Social Media Chair)

Lauren M. Westafer, DO, MPH, MS

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Editorial BoardsAnnals of Emergency Medicine

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAcademy for Academic Women in Emergency Medicine (Social Media Chair)

How to Help Clinicians Initiate Medication Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder

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Reviewing Author