A study conducted by the RAND Corporation and published by JAMA Health Forum revealed increasing access to buprenorphine, a medication vital for treating opioid use disorder, required efforts to enhance professional education and clinician knowledge.
According to JAMA Health Forum, researchers examined six state-level policies focused on boosting the usage of buprenorphine, finding that requiring prescribers to receive additional education beyond what was initially required, as well as continuing medical education related to substance misuse, were both tied to a significant increase in treatment usage.
“Many studies suggest that physicians and other health providers are apprehensive about whether they have sufficient knowledge about using buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder,” lead study author and RAND physician scientist Bradley D. Stein said in a May 26 RAND news release. “We found that requiring additional ongoing education seems to help address this worry, empowering them to make greater use of their training.”
The study analyzed the effects of the various state-level policies, such as requiring additional education for buprenorphine prescribers beyond the initial X-waiver training that had been required, continuing medical education related to substance misuse and addiction, extending Medicaid coverage to buprenorphine treatment, expanding general Medicaid coverage, requiring prescriber use of prescription drug monitoring programs and regulating pain management clinics, the news release reported.
During the study period, researchers found the national use of buprenorphine rose dramatically, according to the release. The number of months of buprenorphine treatment per 1,000 people increased from 1.5 in 2006 to 22.8 in 2018.
The study revealed requiring education for buprenorphine prescribers beyond the initial training needed for a waiver was tied to large increases in the number of months of buprenorphine treatment per person in the year following the implementation of such a policy, the release said. Additionally, mandating continuous medical education related to substance misuse or addiction for physician licensure also led to an increased usage of buprenorphine.
However, the study found no link between prescription drug monitoring programs, pain management clinic laws, Medicaid policies and the dispersion of buprenorphine, the release reported.
“Our findings suggest that requiring education for buprenorphine prescribers and training in substance use disorder treatment for medical providers are actionable proposals for increasing buprenorphine utilization and ultimately serving more patients,” Stein said in the release. “The potential benefits of training on the treatment of patients with substance use disorders is particularly important given the requirement for such training for most prescribing clinicians in the recently passed federal Consolidated Appropriations Act.”