Publications by authors named "D G Blevins"
Background: Alternative models for methadone delivery outside of federal and state-regulated opioid treatment programs may improve access. We determined factors associated with clinician support for continuing office-based methadone.
Methods: We used data from the electronic Opioid Use Disorder Provider COVID-19 Survey conducted among X-waivered clinicians who were providing outpatient, longitudinal treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) from July 2020 to August 2020.
Community-Based Cluster-Randomized Trial to Reduce Opioid Overdose Deaths.
N Engl J Med
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study examines a community-based intervention aimed at reducing opioid-related overdose deaths by increasing the adoption of evidence-based practices including overdose education and naloxone distribution, medication treatment for opioid use disorder, and prescription safety.
- In a cluster-randomized trial, 67 communities across Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio were assigned to either receive the intervention or serve as a control group during a period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in fentanyl overdoses.
- Results showed no significant difference in opioid-related overdose death rates between the intervention and control groups, with both averaging similar rates, indicating that the community-engaged strategies did not have a measurable impact during the study period.
Importance: Buprenorphine significantly reduces opioid-related overdose mortality. From 2002 to 2022, the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000) required qualified practitioners to receive a waiver from the Drug Enforcement Agency to prescribe buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder. During this period, waiver uptake among practitioners was modest; subsequent changes need to be examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe HEALing (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Communities Study (HCS) aims to test the effectiveness of the Communities That HEAL intervention in decreasing opioid overdose deaths in 67 communities across four U.S. states.
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