Journal of substance abuse treatment
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J Subst Abuse Treat · Nov 2016
A survey of Physicians' Perspectives on the New York State Mandatory Prescription Monitoring Program (ISTOP).
Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) have emerged as one tool to combat prescription drug misuse and diversion. New York State mandates that prescribers use its PDMP (called ISTOP) before prescribing controlled substances. We surveyed physicians to assess their experiences with mandatory PDMP use. ⋯ This study offers a unique window into how one academic medical faculty has experienced New York's mandatory PDMP. Many respondents believe that ISTOP is cumbersome and generally unhelpful. Furthermore, many disagree with, and don't comply with, its mandatory use.
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J Subst Abuse Treat · Nov 2016
Multicenter StudyPrimary Care Providers' Interest in Using a Genetic Test to Guide Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment.
Efforts to identify genetic moderators of pharmacotherapy response have generated interest in clinical applications of pharmacogenetic tests in alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment. To date, no research on providers' interest in using pharmacogenetic tests in the context of AUD treatment has been reported. We conducted qualitative interviews with primary care providers from 5 clinics in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) to assess their interest in using a hypothetical genetic test to inform treatment of AUD with pharmacotherapy. ⋯ Primary care providers in this study generally believed a genetic test to aid in AUD treatment planning would be useful, due to its potential to hone treatment choice as well as to influence patient motivation and adherence to treatment. However, providers acknowledged that a test's utility would depend on the strength of its prognostic characteristics, its other benefits relative to standard care, and lack of pragmatic barriers.
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J Subst Abuse Treat · Oct 2016
Post-Discharge Treatment Engagement Among Patients with an Opioid-Use Disorder.
Opioid misuse is a growing public health problem, and estimates show a 150% increase in opioid-related hospital stays over the last two decades. This study examined factors associated with substance use treatment engagement following a hospitalization for opioid use disorder or overdose. ⋯ We found low rates of SUD treatment engagement following hospitalizations for opioid use disorders and overdoses. Patients with prior engagements with behavioral health providers were more likely to engage in follow-up care; therefore, providers may need to focus additional efforts on patients admitted to the hospital with opioid-use disorders who do not have an existing provider relationship.
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J Subst Abuse Treat · Oct 2016
Awareness and Attitudes Toward Intranasal Naloxone Rescue for Opioid Overdose Prevention.
Opioid overdose prevention is a pressing public health concern and intranasal naloxone rescue kits are a useful tool in preventing fatal overdose. We evaluated the attitudes, knowledge, and experiences of patients and providers related to overdose and naloxone rescue. Over a six month period, patients and providers within a large community hospital in Staten Island were recruited to complete tailored questionnaires for their respective groupings. 100 patients and 101 providers completed questionnaires between August, 2014 and January, 2015. ⋯ Patient-Provider discussion of overdose prevention enhances patients' rapport with providers. However, access to an intranasal naloxone rescue kit may make some patients more vulnerable to high-risk behavior. Future research efforts examining provider and patient beliefs and practices are needed to help develop and implement effective hospital-based opioid overdose prevention strategies.
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J Subst Abuse Treat · Jul 2016
Patients' Beliefs About Medications are Associated with Stated Preference for Methadone, Buprenorphine, Naltrexone, or no Medication-Assisted Therapy Following Inpatient Opioid Detoxification.
Subsequent to initial opioid detoxification, people with opioid use disorder are typically advised to engage in follow-up treatment to prevent relapse. Medication-assisted treatments (MATs) - i.e., the opioid agonist methadone (MMT) or partial agonist/antagonist, buprenorphine/naltrexone (BUP) -- are the maintenance treatment options with the best research support for positive outcomes. A third MAT, injectable extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX), was approved by the FDA for opioid dependence in 2010 and shows promise. ⋯ Perceived structural barriers were not related to stated preferences, except that people who preferred BUP were more likely to endorse barriers to MMT than any of the other 3 groups. Notably, a relatively high proportion (32%) of participants were most interested in XR-NTX despite a lack of prior experience with this medication. These results suggest that efforts to increase MAT enrollment following detoxification might benefit from including patient beliefs as one set of factors to assess and target for change.