Literature Collection

BACKGROUND: Opioid use has escalated dramatically resulting in an increase in deaths. Access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is poor. The addition of nurse practitioners (NPs) as prescribers of methadone for OUD offers potential for improving access. Little is known about what support NPs will require as they prescribe methadone. PURPOSE: This paper identifies facilitators and barriers to NPs prescribing methadone. METHODS: In this qualitative study, in-person and phone semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants. Participants included NPs (n=5), physicians (n=5), and stakeholders including members of professional regulatory bodies and government, academics and other clinicians (n=8). Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis and software (NVivo 12.4.0) for data management. RESULTS: Four themes emerged: 1) Pervasive Barrier of Stigma; 2) Perceived Complexity of Patients Living with OUD; 3) NP Education and Practice Supports and; 4) Health Care Context and NP Role Implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Barriers and facilitators to NP prescribing are similar to those encountered by physicians. Factors unique to NPs include the identification of role clarity as a facilitator and navigation of physician networks as a barrier. Research conducted with current NP methadone prescribers is required to evaluate implementation of this service.

BACKGROUND: Opioid use has escalated dramatically resulting in an increase in deaths. Access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is poor. The addition of nurse practitioners (NPs) as prescribers of methadone for OUD offers potential for improving access. Little is known about what support NPs will require as they prescribe methadone. PURPOSE: This paper identifies facilitators and barriers to NPs prescribing methadone. METHODS: In this qualitative study, in-person and phone semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants. Participants included NPs (n=5), physicians (n=5), and stakeholders including members of professional regulatory bodies and government, academics and other clinicians (n=8). Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis and software (NVivo 12.4.0) for data management. RESULTS: Four themes emerged: 1) Pervasive Barrier of Stigma; 2) Perceived Complexity of Patients Living with OUD; 3) NP Education and Practice Supports and; 4) Health Care Context and NP Role Implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Barriers and facilitators to NP prescribing are similar to those encountered by physicians. Factors unique to NPs include the identification of role clarity as a facilitator and navigation of physician networks as a barrier. Research conducted with current NP methadone prescribers is required to evaluate implementation of this service.

OBJECTIVE: Utilization of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) has not been widely adopted by primary care providers. This study sought to identify interprofessional barriers and facilitators for use of MOUD (specifically naltrexone and buprenorphine) among current and future primary care providers in a southeastern academic center in South Carolina. METHOD: Faculty, residents, and students within family medicine, internal medicine, and a physician assistant program participated in focus group interviews, and completed a brief survey. Survey data were analyzed quantitatively, and focus group transcripts were analyzed using a deductive qualitative content analysis, based upon the theory of planned behavior. RESULTS: Seven groups (N = 46) completed focus group interviews and surveys. Survey results indicated that general attitudes towards MOUD were positive and did not differ significantly among groups. Subjective norms around prescribing and controllability (i.e., beliefs about whether prescribing was up to them) differed between specialties and between level of training groups. Focus group themes highlighted attitudes about MOUD (e.g., "opens the flood gates" to patients with addiction) and perceived facilitators and barriers of using MOUD in primary care settings. Participants felt that although MOUD in primary care would improve access and reduce stigma for patients, prescribing requires improved provider education and an integrated system of care. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide an argument for tailoring education to specifically address the barriers primary care prescribers perceive. Results promote the utilization of active, hands-on learning approaches, to ultimately promote uptake of MOUD prescribing in the primary care setting in South Carolina.

Opioid dependence and opioid-related mortality have been increasing in recent years in the United States. Available and accessible treatments may result in a reduction of opioid-related mortality. This work describes the geographic variation of spatial accessibility to opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and identifies areas with poor access to care in South Carolina. The study develops a new index of access that builds on the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method, and has three dimensions: a facility attractiveness index, defined by services rendered incorporated into the Huff Model; a facility catchment area, defined as a function of facility attractiveness to account for variable catchment size; and a Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to account for nonspatial factors that mitigate or compound the impacts of spatial access to care. Results of the study indicate a significant variation in access to OTPs statewide. Spatial access to OTPs is low across the entire state except for in a limited number of metropolitan areas. The majority of the population with low access (85%) live in areas with a moderate-to-high levels of social vulnerability. This research provides more realistic estimates of access to care and aims to assist policymakers in better targeting disadvantaged areas for OTP program expansion and resource allocation.