Buprenorphine discontinuation in telehealth-only treatment for opioid use disorder: A longitudinal cohort analysis.

Introduction: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal agencies permitted telehealth initiation of buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) without in-person assessment. It remains unclear how telehealth-only buprenorphine treatment impacts time to discontinuation and patient reported treatment outcomes.

Methods: A longitudinal observational cohort study conducted September 2021 through March, 2023 enrolled participants with OUD initiating buprenorphine (≤ 45 days) with internet and phone access in Oregon and Washington.

Recruitment challenges for a prospective telehealth cohort study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges in participant recruitment strategies for clinical research involving people with opioid use disorders recently engaged in treatment. We describe challenges to participant recruitment in a trial comparing virtual buprenorphine treatment platform to office-based buprenorphine treatment.

Methods: The parent study was a cohort trial of telehealth delivered buprenorphine treatment compared to office-based buprenorphine treatment, however, due to the pandemic potential participant recruitment for both arms became virtual.

Patient evaluation of a smartphone application for telehealth care of opioid use disorder.

Background: People with opioid use disorder (OUD) face barriers to entering and remaining in life-saving treatment (e.g., stigma, detrimental interactions with health care, and privacy concerns).