Timely Initiation of Treatment Improves Opioid Use Disorder Outcomes
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine have discovered that a program which was designed to make buprenorphine administration timely and easy has increased the use of the treatment in hospital emergency departments significantly. Buprenorphine is a drug that’s used to stabilize opioid withdrawal and pacify cravings. The medication’s use can decrease overdose deaths and other complications associated with drug use while growing long-term engagement with care for opioid use disorder. The lead author of the study, Margaret Lowenstein, stated that the researchers utilized a behavioral design approach to make the execution of evidence-based treatment timely, attractive and…