Emergency department utilization by individuals with opioid use disorder who were recently incarcerated.
Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) are highly represented among the incarcerated population and are frequent utilizers of the emergency department (ED). Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are a recognized treatment option for individuals with OUD. Although the field recognizes the benefits of MOUD, we know little about what mitigating effects MOUD offered in jail might have on post-release ED utilization.
In this retrospective cohort analysis, we searched electronic medical records (EMR) for incarcerations in the Santa Clara County jail between 8/1/2019 and 8/31/2021 for individuals with OUD (N = 4352) and collected demographic and medication administration data for these individuals. Individuals are considered as having received MOUD if they have at least one administration of methadone, naltrexone, or extended release (XR) buprenorphine during their incarceration. We also collected ED visit data from the same EMR for the 28 days following release from the identified incarcerations. Using logistic regression, we compared ED use within 24 h and 28 days for individuals who are incarcerated and treated with MOUD with those not receiving treatment.
Individuals who received methadone or XR buprenorphine during their incarceration were less likely to present at the 28 days following release than those not receiving treatment, after controlling for age, race, sex assigned at birth, preferred language, and housing status. Most individuals accessing the ED within 28 days of release do so within the first seven days, and the greatest volume occurred in the first 24 h. Individuals released before noon had a lower likelihood of ED presentation within 24 h than those released in the afternoon.
Offering methadone and XR buprenorphine to individuals with OUD who are incarcerated is beneficial in mitigating ED utilization within 28 days of release, although further research is needed to understand what other contributing variables, especially those related to follow-up care, could be influencing these results. If possible, release times for individuals could be shifted to the morning to maximize reduction in ED use within 24 h of release. Alternatively, further research should investigate why release times appear to influence ED utilization.
Will J
,Abare M
,Olson M
,Chyorny A
,Wilhelm-Leen E
... -
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Assessing the Safety, User Acceptability, Dissemination, and Reach of a Comprehensive Web-Based Resource on Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD Hub): Protocol for a Development and Usability Study.
Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), such as methadone and buprenorphine, are the gold standard for opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment. Owing to various barriers, MOUD access and retention are low in the United States. The internet presents a digital solution to mitigate barriers, but a comprehensive and reliable resource is lacking. We present a user-friendly, web-based resource, the MOUD Hub, that provides reliable information on MOUD.
This study aims to assess the safety, acceptability, feasibility of dissemination, and reach of the MOUD Hub using focus groups and advertising on 1 key search engine and 1 social media platform.
This protocol describes the development of the MOUD Hub and the descriptive observational feasibility study that will be undertaken. The MOUD Hub uses motivational interviewing principles to guide users through the stages of change. The website provides evidence-based information from national health and substance use agencies, harm reduction organizations, and peer-reviewed literature. First, pilot focus groups with 10 graduate students who have lived experience with OUD will be conducted to provide feedback on safety concerns. Then, focus groups with 20-30 potential MOUD Hub users (eg, people with OUD with and without MOUD experience, friends and family, and health care providers) will be conducted to assess safety, acceptability, reach, and usability. Data will be analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The website will be advertised on Google and MOUD-specific Reddit forums to assess dissemination, reach, and user acceptability based on the total user volume, sociodemographic characteristics, pop-up survey responses, and 1-year engagement patterns. This information will be collected through Google Analytics. Potential differences between users from Google and Reddit will be assessed.
The MOUD Hub will be launched in January 2025. Data collected from 5 focus groups (approximately 30-40 participants) will be used to improve the website before launching it. There is no target sample size for the second stage of the study as it aims to assess dissemination feasibility and reach. Data will be collected for a year, analyzed every 3 months, and used to improve the website.
The MOUD Hub offers an innovative theory-based approach, tailored to people with OUD and their family and friends, to increase access to and retention in MOUD treatment in the United States and provides broader harm reduction resources for those not currently in a position to receive treatment or those at risk of resuming illicit opioid use. Findings from this feasibility phase will serve to better tailor the MOUD Hub. After modifying the website based on our findings, we will use a randomized controlled trial to assess its efficacy in increasing MOUD access and retention, contributing to growing research on web-based interventions for OUD.
PRR1-10.2196/57065.
Nicholls MJ
,Almeida A
,Castello J
,Grelotti D
,Daugherty B
,Gann D Jr
,Lenyoun K
,Trillo-Park S
,Borquez A
... -
《JMIR Research Protocols》