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Hospital Buprenorphine Program for Opioid Use Disorder Is Associated With Increased Inpatient and Outpatient Addiction Treatment
Author(s) -
Christian Nicholaus,
Bottner Richard,
Baysinger Amber,
Boulton Alanna,
Walker Blair,
Valencia Victoria,
Moriates Christopher
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of hospital medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.128
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1553-5606
pISSN - 1553-5592
DOI - 10.12788/jhm.3591
Subject(s) - medicine , buprenorphine , opioid use disorder , addiction , emergency medicine , medical prescription , addiction medicine , family medicine , opioid , psychiatry , nursing , receptor
Despite evidence that medications for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) reduce mortality and improve engagement in outpatient addiction treatment, these life‐saving medications are underutilized in the hospital setting. This study reports the outcomes of the B‐Team (Buprenorphine‐Team), a hospitalist‐led interprofessional program created to identify hospitalized patients with OUD, initiate buprenorphine in the inpatient setting, and provide bridge prescription and access to outpatient treatment programs. During the first 2 years of the program, the B‐Team administered buprenorphine therapy to 132 patients in the inpatient setting; 110 (83%) of these patients were bridged to an outpatient program. Of these patients, 65 patients (59%) were seen at their first outpatient appointment; 42 (38%) attended at least one subsequent appointment 1 to 3 months after discharge from the hospital; 29 (26%) attended at least one subsequent appointment between 3 and 6 months after discharge; and 24 (22%) attended at least one subsequent appointment after 6 months. This model is potentially replicable at other hospitals because it does not require dedicated addiction medicine expertise.