Higher 90-day treatment retention rates seen with no higher risk for overdose<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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MONDAY, Oct. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Patients may benefit from the use of telemedicine during buprenorphine initiation for opioid use disorder (OUD) when compared with traditional initiation, according to a study published online Oct. 18 in\u00a0JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Ph.D., from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and colleagues examined associations between transmucosal buprenorphine OUD treatment modality (telemedicine versus traditional) during the COVID-19 public health emergency and the health outcomes of treatment retention and opioid-related nonfatal overdose. The analysis included Medicaid claims and enrollment data from 41,266 individuals in Kentucky and 50,648 individuals in Ohio (Nov. 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2020).<\/p>\n The researchers found that telemedicine buprenorphine initiations increased sharply at the beginning of 2020. Telemedicine initiation was associated with better odds of 90-day retention with buprenorphine in both states (adjusted odds ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 1.13 [1.01 to 1.27] and 1.19 [1.06 to 1.32] for Kentucky and Ohio, respectively) when adjusting for patient demographic and comorbidity characteristics. There was no association seen between telemedicine initiation and opioid-related nonfatal overdose (adjusted odds ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 0.89 [0.56 to 1.40] and 1.08 [0.83 to 1.41] for Kentucky and Ohio, respectively).<\/p>\n “These findings add to the literature demonstrating positive outcomes associated with the use of telemedicine for treatment of OUD,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed ties to industry.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text<\/a><\/p>\n