Ways to Remove Barriers to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

We need to improve the success of treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD). To determine best practices for buprenorphine treatment, experts proposed changes to seven outdated practices, using recent guidelines from the FDA and the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the current literature to inform their recommendations.

They proposed changes to these outdated practices:

1. Induction of treatment does not require a medical setting. Home induction programs are safe and effective, so long as education and telephone/texting support are provided.

2. Clinicians can coprescribe benzodiazepine and buprenorphine. Evaluating patients for a benzodiazepine use disorder and tapering benzodiazepines completely or to the lowest ef…