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Initiating buprenorphine treatment for hospitalized patients with opioid dependence: A case series
Author(s) -
Suzuki Joji,
DeVido Jeffrey,
Kalra Inder,
Mittal Leena,
Shah Sejal,
Zinser Jennifer,
Weiss Roger D.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the american journal on addictions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.997
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-0391
pISSN - 1055-0496
DOI - 10.1111/ajad.12161
Subject(s) - buprenorphine , opioid , series (stratigraphy) , medicine , opiate substitution treatment , anesthesia , geology , receptor , paleontology
Background and Objectives Opioid dependent patients are hospitalized frequently. We aimed to determine if initiation of buprenorphine treatment during hospitalization facilitates entry into treatment following discharge. Methods Retrospective case series ( n = 47). Results Twenty‐two (46.8%) patients successfully initiated buprenorphine treatment within 2 months of discharge. Those patients obtaining a referral to a specific program were more successful in continuing treatment, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (59.1% vs 39.1%, p = 0.18). Discussion and Conclusions Hospitalization may be an important opportunity to engage opioid dependent patients to initiate buprenorphine treatment. Scientific Significance This study provides provisional support for utilizing buprenorphine for hospitalized patients. (Am J Addict 2015;24:10–14)