Addiction Treatment and Telehealth: Review of Efficacy and Provider Insights During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Psychiatr Serv

RTI International, Rockville, Maryland (Mark, Treiman), and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (Henretty, Tzeng); Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles (Padwa, Gilbert).

Published: May 2022

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study investigates the effectiveness of telehealth for treating substance use disorders, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and considers its ongoing use post-pandemic.
  • A review of eight studies shows that telehealth is generally as effective as in-person treatment, with the majority of providers reporting high patient engagement through telehealth methods.
  • Conclusions suggest telehealth can enhance access and convenience for patients but emphasize the need for further research to optimize its use based on individual circumstances and treatment types.

Article Abstract

Objective: Addiction treatment via telehealth expanded to unprecedented levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to clarify whether the research evidence on the efficacy of telehealth-delivered substance use disorder treatment and the experience of providers using telehealth during the pandemic support continued use of telehealth after the pandemic and, if so, under what circumstances.

Methods: Data sources included a literature review on the efficacy of telehealth for substance use disorder treatment, responses to a 2020 online survey from 100 California addiction treatment providers, and interviews with 30 California treatment providers and other stakeholders.

Results: Eight published studies were identified that compared addiction treatment via telehealth with in-person treatment. Seven found telehealth treatment as effective but not more effective than in-person treatment in terms of retention, therapeutic alliance, and substance use. One Canadian study found that telehealth facilitated methadone prescribing and improved retention. In the survey results reported here, California addiction treatment providers said that more than 50% of their patients were being treated via telehealth for intensive outpatient treatment, individual counseling, group counseling, and intake assessment. They were most confident that individual counseling via telehealth was as effective as in-person individual counseling and less sure about the relative effectiveness of telehealth-delivered medication management, group counseling, and intake assessments.

Conclusions: Telehealth may help engage patients in addiction treatment by improving access and convenience. Additional research is needed to confirm that benefit and to determine how best to tailor telehealth to each patient's circumstances and with what mix of in-person and telehealth services.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202100088DOI Listing

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