Literature Collection

BACKGROUND: Integrating mental health services into primary healthcare platforms is an established health systems strategy in low-to-middle-income countries. In South Africa, this was pursued through the Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME), a multi-country initiative that relied on task-sharing as a principle implementation strategy. Towards better describing the implementation processes, qualitative comparative analysis was adopted to explore causal pathways in the intervention. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore factors that could have influenced key outcomes of an integrated mental healthcare intervention in South Africa. METHODS: Drawing from an embedded multiple case study design, the analysis used qualitative comparative analysis. Focusing on nine PHC clinics in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District as cases, with depression reduction scores set as outcome measures, trial data variables were modelled in a hypothetical causal process. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was performed by 1) developing the research questions, 2) developing the fuzzy set, 3) testing necessity and 4) testing sufficiency. These steps were undertaken collaboratively among the research team. RESULTS: The data were calibrated during several meetings among team members to gain a degree of consensus. Necessity analyses suggested that none of the causal conditions exceeded the threshold of necessity and triviality, and confirmed the inclusion of relevant variables in line with the proposed models. Sufficiency analyses produced two configurations, which were subjected to standard and specific analyses. Ultimately, the results suggested that none of the causal conditions were necessary for a reduction in depression scores to occur, while programme fidelity was identified as a sufficient condition for a reduction in scores to occur. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights the importance of understanding implementation pathways to enable better integration of mental health services within primary healthcare in low-to-middle-income settings. It underlines the importance of programme fidelity in achieving the goals of implementation.

IMPORTANCE: Gabapentin prescriptions have drastically increased in the US due to off-label prescribing in settings such as opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment to manage a range of comorbid conditions and withdrawal symptoms, despite a lack of evidence. OBJECTIVE: To assess the purpose and associated risks of off-label gabapentin use in OUD treatment. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective recurrent-event case-control study with a crossover design used administrative claims data from MarketScan Commercial and Multi-State Medicaid databases from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2016. Individuals aged 12 to 64 years with an OUD diagnosis and filling buprenorphine prescriptions were included in the primary analysis conducted from July 1, 2022, through June 1, 2023. Unit of observation was the person-day. EXPOSURES: Days covered by filled gabapentin prescriptions. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcomes were receipt of gabapentin in the 90 days after initiation of buprenorphine treatment and drug-related poisoning. Drug-related poisonings were defined using codes from International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision. RESULTS: A total of 109 407 patients were included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 34.0 [11.2] years; 60 112 [54.9%] male). Among the 29 967 patients with Medicaid coverage, 299 (1.0%) were Hispanic, 1330 (4.4%) were non-Hispanic Black, 23 112 (77.1%) were non-Hispanic White, and 3399 (11.3%) were other. Gabapentin was significantly less likely to be prescribed to Black or Hispanic patients, and more likely to be prescribed to female patients, those with co-occurring substance use or mood disorders, and those with comorbid physical conditions such as neuropathic pain. Nearly one-third of persons who received gabapentin (4336 [31.1%]) had at least 1 drug-related poisoning after initiating buprenorphine treatment, compared with 13 856 (14.5%) among persons who did not receive gabapentin. Adjusted analyses showed that days of gabapentin use were not associated with hospitalization for drug-related poisoning (odds ratio, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.85-1.13]). Drug-related poisoning risks did not vary based on dosage. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Gabapentin is prescribed in the context of a myriad of comorbid conditions. Even though persons receiving gabapentin are more likely to have admissions for drug-related poisoning, these data suggest that gabapentin is not associated with an increased risk of drug-related poisoning alongside buprenorphine in adjusted analyses. More data on the safety profile of gabapentin in OUD settings are needed.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 significantly negatively impacted access to care among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) enacted policies to expand telehealth and medication for OUD (MOUD) during the public health emergency, which offset risk of treatment disruption. In this study, we evaluated gender differences in utilization of behavioral therapy in person and via telehealth, MOUD utilization, and achieving 90-day MOUD retention pre-post pandemic onset, given known gender differences in treatment utilization between men and women. Secondarily, we examined MOUD receipt and retention as a function of in-person vs. telehealth behavioral therapy received over time. METHODS: Using VHA's nationwide electronic health record data, we compared outcomes between men and women veterans, pre- to post-pandemic onset (January 2019-February 2020 vs. March 2020-April 2021). Primary outcomes included receipt of behavioral therapy (in person or telehealth), number of appointments attended, any MOUD, and whether patients achieved 90-day MOUD retention post-induction. RESULTS: Veterans with OUD were less likely to receive behavioral therapy post-pandemic onset, which was driven by marked decreases in in-person care; these effects were strongest among women. The odds of receiving MOUD also decreased pre- to post-pandemic onset, particularly among men. Receipt of or achieving 90-day MOUD retention was differentially related to receipt of behavioral therapy via in person vs. telehealth; telehealth was more strongly associated with these utilization indicators post-pandemic onset-an effect that was more pronounced for men. CONCLUSION: The likelihood of receiving behavioral therapy and MOUD were lower during COVID-19 and varied by gender, with men being less likely to receive MOUD over time and women being less likely to receive in-person behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy received via telehealth was generally associated with improved MOUD utilization compared to in-person behavioral therapy, but this was less true for women than for men regarding utilization of or achieving 90-day MOUD retention. In addition to the need for further telehealth expansion for veterans with OUD, more research should explore how to better engage men in MOUD treatment and improve adherence to MOUD among women engaged in behavioral therapy.