Impact of Perceived Access and Treatment Knowledge on Medication Preferences for Opioid Use Disorder.

Background: Medications for opioid use disorders (MOUDs) are effective, but most people with opioid use disorder (OUD) do not receive treatment. Prior research has explored patients' structural barriers to access and perceptions of MOUD. Little research has considered treatment knowledge and perceptions outside of the patient population.

The effect of a pilot brief educational intervention on preferences regarding treatments for opioid use disorder.

Purpose: Negative perceptions around medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) amongst the public could deter patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) from engaging with MOUD. Thus, we evaluated whether a brief intervention could improve preferences for MOUD in people who may or may not use opioids.

Methods: We employed a pre-post design to assess the effect of a brief educational intervention on preferences for methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, and non-medication treatment in an online sample of US adults stratified by race, who may or may not use opioids.

Perceptions around medications for opioid use disorder among a diverse sample of U.S. adults.

Introduction: Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) including methadone (MMT), buprenorphine (BUP), and naltrexone (NTX) are safe and effective. However, there are significant negative perceptions surrounding MOUD, creating barriers to uptake. While research on MOUD stigma has largely focused on provider and patient experiences, fewer studies have explored MOUD perceptions among the general public.

Telehealth-delivered Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder: Patient Perspectives in the Age of COVID-19.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated increases in alcohol use and ushered in virtually delivered health care, creating an opportunity to examine the impacts of telehealth on alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment. To understand these impacts, we explored perspectives on telehealth-delivered psychotherapy among individuals with AUD.

Methods: This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews.

Impact of COVID-19 on stimulant use disorder treatment: A national cohort study in the Veterans Health Administration.

Objective: Rates of stimulant overdose have increased dramatically, which may have been exacerbated by treatment disruptions during the pandemic, but no recent studies have examined use of stimulant use disorder (StUD) treatment.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study (March 2018 to February 2022) of national Veterans Health Administration patients, we use an interrupted time-series analysis to examine the impact of COVID-19 (starting in March 2020) on treatment use for StUD.

Results: The number of patients receiving StUD care was increasing pre-COVID (22,640-23,020, February 2018-February 2020) but dropped post-pandemic to 18,578 in February 2022.

Perceived risk of harm for different methods of cannabis consumption: A brief report.

Background: Emerging adults' (EAs; ages 18-25) perceived risk of cannabis-related harms has decreased in recent decades, potentially contributing to their high prevalence of cannabis consumption. With the changing cannabis policy and product landscape, it is critical to understand perceived risk related to different consumption methods (e.g.

Telephone monitoring and 15-month outcomes for patients with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders: Moderating effects of high-risk patient characteristics.

Introduction: Telephone monitoring interventions for substance use disorders are an important component of continuing care to reduce relapse and connect patients to services. However, a knowledge gap still exists as to which patient groups benefit most from them. This secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial examined moderators of associations between telephone monitoring and 15-month substance use outcomes among patients with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.

Pilot trial of a telehealth-delivered behavioral economic intervention promoting cannabis-free activities among adults with cannabis use disorder.

Background: Cannabis is increasingly consumed and increasingly perceived as harmless. Among those whose use develops into a cannabis use disorder (CUD), <5% initiate and engage in treatment. Thus, novel options for low-barrier, appealing treatments are needed to foster engagement in care.

Buprenorphine use and courses of care for opioid use disorder treatment within the Veterans Health Administration.

Background: Retention of patients in buprenorphine medication treatment for opioid use disorder (B-MOUD) reduces harms associated with opioid use disorder (OUD). We sought to characterize the patients receiving B-MOUD and courses of B-MOUD in a large healthcare system.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, open cohort study of patients with OUD who either did or did not receive B-MOUD courses within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) from January 2006 through July 2019, using VHA clinical data.

Peer- and web-based interventions for risky drinking among US National Guard members: Mission Strong randomized controlled trial.

Aims: To test separatel the efficacy of a web-based and a peer-based brief intervention (BI), compared with an expanded usual care control (EUC) group, among military reserve component members using alcohoI in a hazardous and harmful manner.

Design: In the randomized controlled trial, participants were assigned to: [1] web-based BI with web-based boosters (BI + web), [2] web-based BI with peer-based boosters (BI + peer) or [3] enhanced usual care (EUC).

Setting: Michigan, USA.

Hazardous Drinking Interventions Delivered During Medical-Surgical Care: Patient and Provider Views.

Addressing hazardous drinking during medical-surgical care improves patients' health. This formative evaluation examined patients' consideration of options to change drinking and engage in treatment. It explored whether interventions such as "DO-MoST" overcome treatment barriers.

The impact of COVID-19 on trends in alcohol use disorder treatment in Veterans Health Administration.

Background And Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health-care provision in the United States and prompted increases in telehealth-delivery of care. This study measured alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment trends across visit modalities before and during COVID-19.

Design, Setting, Participants And Measurements: We conducted a national, retrospective cohort study with interrupted time-series models to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on AUD treatment in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in the United States during pre-COVID-19 (March 2019 to February 2020) and COVID-19 (March 2020 to February 2021) periods.

Use of and Retention on Video, Telephone, and In-Person Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prompted policy changes to allow increased telehealth delivery of buprenorphine, a potentially lifesaving medication for opioid use disorder (OUD). It is unclear how characteristics of patients who access different treatment modalities (in-person vs telehealth, video vs telephone) vary, and whether modality is associated with retention-a key indicator of care quality.

Objectives: To compare patient characteristics across receipt of different treatment modalities and to assess whether modality was associated with retention during the year following COVID-19-related policy changes.

Factors associated with clinician treatment recommendations for patients with a new diagnosis of opioid use disorder.

Background: This study examined factors associated with treatment recommendations for patients with a new diagnosis of opioid use disorder (OUD), comparing recommendations for patients with clear signs of OUD versus those with lower likelihood of OUD.

Methods: The study conducted a retrospective medical chart review in a randomly selected national sample of 520 Veteran Health Administration patients with a new opioid-related electronic health record (EHR) diagnosis from 2012 to 2017. The study categorized patients as having "high likelihood" or "lower likelihood of OUD" based on the presence or absence of clinician documentation in medical records of specific qualifying criteria (e.

Telemedicine-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in alcohol use disorder (AUD): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality, but relapse rates are high even with available treatments. Insomnia is a robust predictor of relapse and pilot studies have shown that CBT for insomnia improves insomnia and daytime functioning in adults with AUD and insomnia. The impact of CBT for insomnia on relapse, however, is unclear.

Alcohol-involved overdose deaths in US veterans.

Background: Alcohol-involved overdose deaths are increasing and often occur with other substances but have been minimally studied compared to other causes of overdose.

Methods: We used national Veterans Health Administration (VHA) records linked to National Death Index data from 2012 to 2018 to examine trends in alcohol-related overdose mortality. Patient characteristics and treatment receipt were compared across categories of alcohol overdose deaths (alcohol-only, alcohol+opioids which may include additional substances, and alcohol+other substances without opioids).