Benefits include higher initiation of medication for opioid use disorder during hospitalization and linkage to follow-up care<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/p>\n
WEDNESDAY, April 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A hospital-based addiction consultation service can improve receipt of evidence-based treatment for people with opioid use disorder (OUD), according to a study published online April 7 in JAMA Internal Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n Allison J. Ober, Ph.D., from the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California, and colleagues tested whether an addiction-focused consultation service, the Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Team (START), increases medications for OUD initiation during hospitalization and linkage to follow-up care after discharge. The analysis included 325 participants randomly assigned to START (164 individuals) or usual care (161 individuals).<\/p>\n The researchers found that START participants were more likely than usual care participants to initiate medications for OUD (naltrexone, buprenorphine, or methadone) during hospitalization (57.3 versus 26.7 percent; adjusted risk ratio, 2.10) and to link to OUD care after discharge (72.0 versus 48.1 percent; adjusted risk ratio, 1.49).<\/p>\n “By addressing gaps in inpatient care, the hospital-based addiction-focused consultation service presented in this randomized clinical trial improved receipt of evidence-based treatment for people with OUD in the hospital and linkage to treatment after discharge,” the authors write.<\/p>\n One author disclosed ties to Bexson Biomedical and Workit Health.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n