Touchpoints - Opportunities to predict and prevent opioid overdose: A cohort study

Jail Characteristics and Availability of Opioid Treatment Services: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey

The current wave of the opioid epidemic has contributed to a record number of drug-related overdoses and a significant proportion of people who experience opioid use disorder are admitted to local jails. These correctional facilities serve as the principal entry point to the criminal justice system as nearly every person who is taken into custody is admitted to a local detention center. Although jails are recognized as primary intervention points for people who may require treatment for opioid use disorder, services in these facilities remain deficient. The absence of jail-based treatment has become a pressing concern as the number of drug-related deaths in custody continues to rise and the risk of post-release overdose also remains high. The present study draws on the opioid-related module of the 2019 Bureau of Justice Statistics' Census of Jails to assess the relationships between the characteristics of 2588 local detention centers and the availability of treatment services. These specific approaches included screening for opioid use disorder, providing medication to manage withdrawal symptoms, administering medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), providing overdose reversal medication at the time of release, and linking people with community-based care following release from the detention center. The results demonstrate facilities located in the Northeast, larger jails, those in urban areas, and detention centers with higher turnover rates are significantly more likely to provide a wider variety of opioid treatment services. These findings have important implications for the prioritization of policies and the allocation of resources to support the adoption of opioid treatment services in local jails.

Geographic and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Access to Methamphetamine Detoxification Services, United States, 2021

INTRODUCTION

Methamphetamine detoxification before entering formal and longer term treatment may have a positive impact on treatment retention and success. Understanding geographic distribution of methamphetamine specialty detox services and differential access by race/ethnicity is critical for establishing policies that ensure equitable access across populations.

METHODS

We used the Mental health and Addiction Treatment Tracking Repository to identify treatment facilities that offered any substance use detoxification in 2021 (N=2346) as well as the census block group in which they were located. We sourced data from the US Census Bureau to identify the percentage of a census block group that was White, Black, and Hispanic. We used logistic regression to model the availability of methamphetamine-specific detox, predicted by the percentage of a block group that was Black and Hispanic. We adjusted for relevant covariates and defined state as a random effect. We calculated model-based predicted probabilities.

RESULTS

Over half (60%) of detox facilities offered additional detox services specifically for methamphetamine. Sixteen states had <10 methamphetamine-specific detox facilities. The predicted probability of methamphetamine-specific detox availability was 60% in census block groups with 0%-9% Black residents versus only 46% in census block groups with 90%-100% Black residents, and was 61% in census block groups with 0%-9% Hispanic residents versus 30% in census block groups with 90%-100% Hispanic residents.

CONCLUSIONS

During an unprecedented national methamphetamine crisis, access to a critical health care service was disproportionately lower in communities that were predominately Black and Hispanic. We orient our findings around a discussion of health disparities, residential segregation, and the upstream causes of the systematic exclusion of minoritized communities from health care.

Characterising individuals with a substance use disorder accessing hospital-based addiction care: Preliminary description of the outcomes for patients accessing addiction care prospective cohort study

INTRODUCTION

Individuals with a substance use disorder (SUD) often face barriers to accessing health care, resulting in unmet needs and delayed care. Hospital-based services have the potential to engage individuals with a SUD in ongoing treatment, but there is limited literature characterising this population.

METHODS

The Outcomes for Patients Accessing Addiction Care study was a prospective hospital-based cohort study conducted at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. Participants were recruited from January 2018 to March 2020. Data were collected through an interviewer-administered questionnaire, including socio-demographic information, substance use history and mental health screening.

RESULTS

The cohort included 536 participants, with 31% aged 30-39 years, 63% identifying as White and 74% reporting male sex at birth. Nearly half of the participants were either homeless or living in single room occupancy. Use of substances more than once per week was reported for tobacco/nicotine (86%), marijuana (43%), non-medical use of prescription drugs (29%), illicit stimulants (52%) and illicit opioids (61%).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

This preliminary report provides a description of a hospital-based cohort of individuals with a SUD accessing addiction care. The findings highlight demographic characteristics, mental health issues, substance use patterns and barriers to accessing services. Understanding these factors can inform the development of patient-centred interventions and improve engagement and retention in addiction care. Further research is needed to explore interventions and program effectiveness in this population.

Development of a Real-Time Dashboard for Overdose Touchpoints: User-Centered Design Approach

BACKGROUND

Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) is an important public health tool for shaping overdose prevention strategies in communities. However, OFR teams review only a few cases at a time, which typically represent a small fraction of the total fatalities in their jurisdiction. Such limited review could result in a partial understanding of local overdose patterns, leading to policy recommendations that do not fully address the broader community needs.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored the potential to enhance conventional OFRs with a data dashboard, incorporating visualizations of touchpoints-events that precede overdoses-to highlight prevention opportunities.

METHODS

We conducted 2 focus groups and a survey of OFR experts to characterize their information needs and design a real-time dashboard that tracks and measures decedents' past interactions with services in Indiana. Experts (N=27) were engaged, yielding insights on essential data features to incorporate and providing feedback to guide the development of visualizations.

RESULTS

The findings highlighted the importance of showing decedents' interactions with health services (emergency medical services) and the justice system (incarcerations). Emphasis was also placed on maintaining decedent anonymity, particularly in small communities, and the need for training OFR members in data interpretation. The developed dashboard summarizes key touchpoint metrics, including prevalence, interaction frequency, and time intervals between touchpoints and overdoses, with data viewable at the county and state levels. In an initial evaluation, the dashboard was well received for its comprehensive data coverage and its potential for enhancing OFR recommendations and case selection.

CONCLUSIONS

The Indiana touchpoints dashboard is the first to display real-time visualizations that link administrative and overdose mortality data across the state. This resource equips local health officials and OFRs with timely, quantitative, and spatiotemporal insights into overdose risk factors in their communities, facilitating data-driven interventions and policy changes. However, fully integrating the dashboard into OFR practices will likely require training teams in data interpretation and decision-making.

Caring for Hospitalized Adults With Opioid Use Disorder in the Era of Fentanyl: A Review

Importance

The rise of fentanyl and other high-potency synthetic opioids across US and Canada has been associated with increasing hospitalizations and unprecedented overdose deaths. Hospitalization is a critical touchpoint to engage patients and offer life-saving opioid use disorder (OUD) care when admitted for OUD or other medical conditions.

Observations

Clinical best practices include managing acute withdrawal and pain, initiating medication for OUD, integrating harm reduction principles and practices, addressing in-hospital substance use, and supporting hospital-to-community care transitions. Fentanyl complicates hospital OUD care. Fentanyl's high potency intensifies pain, withdrawal, and cravings and increases the risk for overdose and other harms. Fentanyl's unique pharmacology has rendered traditional techniques for managing opioid withdrawal and initiating buprenorphine and methadone inadequate for some patients, necessitating novel strategies. Further, co-use of opioids with stimulants drugs is common, and the opioid supply is unpredictable and can be contaminated with benzodiazepines, xylazine, and other substances. To address these challenges, clinicians are increasingly relying on emerging practices, such as low-dose buprenorphine initiation with opioid continuation, rapid methadone titration, and the use of alternative opioid agonists. Hospitals must also reconsider conventional approaches to in-hospital substance use and expand clinicians' understanding and embrace of harm reduction, which is a philosophy and set of practical strategies that supports people who use drugs to be safer and healthier without judgment, coercion, or discrimination. Hospital-to-community care transitions should ensure uninterrupted access to OUD care after discharge, which requires special consideration and coordination. Finally, improving hospital-based addiction care requires dedicated infrastructure and expertise. Preparing hospitals across the US and Canada to deliver OUD best practices requires investments in clinical champions, staff education, leadership commitment, community partnerships, quality metrics, and financing.

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings of this review indicate that fentanyl creates increased urgency and new challenges for hospital OUD care. Hospital clinicians and systems have a central role in addressing the current drug crisis.

Implementation and evaluation of interprofessional overdose review team recommendations following intentional or accidental overdose events

Drug overdose death rates in the United States remain high despite efforts to mitigate this risk. Many communities and hospitals across the country have implemented overdose review teams, including local overdose fatality review teams or postoverdose intervention programs, to address the opioid crisis. The goal of most of these teams is to identify missed opportunities or patient-specific interventions to prevent future opioid overdose fatalities. Few overdose review teams review a combination of both fatal and nonfatal overdose events. The Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System implemented a novel overdose review team (ORT) that collaboratively reviews all overdose incidents regardless of fatality, intent, or substance involved. This practice description characterizes reported facility overdose events and patient-specific risk-mitigation strategies recommended by the ORT, highlights the implementation rate and time to implementation of ORT recommendations, and discusses potential areas for process improvement. This practice highlights the potential impact of a pharmacist-led, interdisciplinary ORT following accidental or intentional overdose events involving any substance or medication. Key patient-specific interventions implemented following ORT recommendations included overdose prevention education and naloxone distribution, prescribing of medications for opioid use disorder and/or alcohol use disorder, reducing medication supply to limit lethal means access, and facilitation of mental health and/or substance use disorder specialty appointments. Further research to evaluate clinical outcomes related to specific ORT interventions should be considered.

Using Data-To-Care Strategies to Optimize the HIV Care Continuum in Connecticut: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Re-engaging people with HIV who are newly out-of-care remains challenging. Data-to-care (D2C) is a potential strategy to re-engage such individuals.

METHODS

A prospective randomized controlled trial compared a D2C strategy using a disease intervention specialist (DIS) vs standard of care where 23 HIV clinics in 3 counties in Connecticut could re-engage clients using existing methods. Using a data reconciliation process to confirm being newly out-of-care, 655 participants were randomized to DIS (N = 333) or standard of care (N = 322). HIV care continuum outcomes included re-engagement at 90 days, retention in care, and viral suppression by 12 months. Multivariable regression models were used to assess factors predictive of attaining HIV care continuum outcomes.

RESULTS

Participants randomized to DIS were more likely to be re-engaged at 90 days (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] = 1.42, P = 0.045). Independent predictors of re-engagement at 90 days were age older than 40 years (aOR = 1.84, P = 0.012) and perinatal HIV risk category (aOR = 3.19, P = 0.030). Predictors of retention at 12 months included re-engagement at 90 days (aOR = 10.31, P < 0.001), drug injection HIV risk category (aOR = 1.83, P = 0.032), detectable HIV-1 RNA before randomization (aOR = 0.40, P = 0.003), and county (Hartford aOR = 1.74, P = 0.049; New Haven aOR = 1.80, P = 0.030). Predictors of viral suppression included re-engagement at 90 days (aOR = 2.85, P < 0.001), retention in HIV care (aOR = 7.07, P < 0.001), and detectable HIV-1 RNA prerandomization (aOR = 0.23, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A D2C strategy significantly improved re-engagement at 90 days. Early re-engagement improved downstream benefits along the HIV care continuum like retention in care and viral suppression at 12 months. Moreover, other factors predictive of care continuum outcomes can be used to improve D2C strategies.

Exemplar Hospital initiation trial to Enhance Treatment Engagement (EXHIT ENTRE): protocol for CTN-0098B a randomized implementation study to support hospitals in caring for patients with opioid use disorder

BACKGROUND

Hospitalizations involving opioid use disorder (OUD) are increasing. Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) reduce mortality and acute care utilization. Hospitalization is a reachable moment for initiating MOUD and arranging for ongoing MOUD engagement following hospital discharge. Despite existing quality metrics for MOUD initiation and engagement, few hospitals provide hospital based opioid treatment (HBOT). This protocol describes a cluster-randomized hybrid type-2 implementation study comparing low-intensity and high-intensity implementation support strategies to help community hospitals implement HBOT.

METHODS

Four state implementation hubs with expertise in initiating HBOT programs will provide implementation support to 24 community hospitals (6 hospitals/hub) interested in starting HBOT. Community hospitals will be randomized to 24-months of either a low-intensity intervention (distribution of an HBOT best-practice manual, a lecture series based on the manual, referral to publicly available resources, and on-demand technical assistance) or a high-intensity intervention (the low-intensity intervention plus funding for a hospital HBOT champion and regular practice facilitation sessions with an expert hub). The primary efficacy outcome, adapted from the National Committee on Quality Assurance, is the proportion of patients engaged in MOUD 34-days following hospital discharge. Secondary and exploratory outcomes include acute care utilization, non-fatal overdose, death, MOUD engagement at various time points, hospital length of stay, and discharges against medical advice. Primary, secondary, and exploratory outcomes will be derived from state Medicaid data. Implementation outcomes, barriers, and facilitators are assessed via longitudinal surveys, qualitative interviews, practice facilitation contact logs, and HBOT sustainability metrics. We hypothesize that the proportion of patients receiving care at hospitals randomized to the high-intensity arm will have greater MOUD engagement following hospital discharge.

DISCUSSION

Initiation of MOUD during hospitalization improves MOUD engagement post hospitalization. Few studies, however, have tested different implementation strategies on HBOT uptake, outcome, and sustainability and only one to date has tested implementation of a specific type of HBOT (addiction consultation services). This cluster-randomized study comparing different intensities of HBOT implementation support will inform hospitals and policymakers in identifying effective strategies for promoting HBOT dissemination and adoption in community hospitals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT04921787.

Older adult drug overdose: an application of latent class analysis to identify prevention opportunities

BACKGROUND

Older adult overdose death rates have increased significantly in recent years. However, research for prevention of drug overdose death specific to older adults is limited. Our objective is to identify profiles based on missed intervention points (touchpoints) to inform prevention of future older adult unintentional overdose deaths.

METHODS

We used latent class analysis methods to identify profiles of decedents aged 55 + years in the Illinois Statewide Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System. This system collects data on 92.6% of all unintentional overdose deaths in Illinois and includes data from death certificates, coroner/medical examiner, toxicology, and autopsy reports. Data include decedent demographics, circumstances leading up to and surrounding the fatal overdose and details regarding the overdose. Variables in the latent class analysis model included sex, race, alcohol test result, social isolation, recent emergency department (ED) visit, chronic pain, and pain treatment.

RESULTS

We identified three distinct decent profiles. Class 1 (13% of decedents) included female decedents who were in pain treatment, had physical health problems, and had greater likelihood of a recent ED visit before their death. Class 2 (35% of decedents) decedents were most likely to be socially connected (live with others, employed, had social or family relationships) but less likely to have recent healthcare visits. Class 3 (52% of decedents) decedents had higher social isolation (lived alone, unemployed, unpartnered), were mostly male, had fewer known physical health conditions, and more alcohol positivity at time of death. White decedents are clustered in class 1 while Black decedents are predominant in classes 2 and 3.

CONCLUSIONS

These profiles link to potential touchpoint opportunities for substance use disorder screening harm reduction and treatment. Class 1 members were most likely to be reachable in healthcare settings. However, most decedents were members of Classes 2 and 3 with less engagement in the healthcare system, suggesting a need for screening and intervention in different contexts. For Class 2, intervention touchpoints might include education and screening in work or social settings such as senior centers given the higher degree of social connectivity. For Class 3, the most isolated group, touchpoints may occur in the context of harm reduction outreach and social service delivery.

Initiatives to Support the Transition of Patients With Substance Use Disorders From Acute Care to Community-based Services Among a National Sample of Nonprofit Hospitals

BACKGROUND

Hospitals are a key touchpoint to reach patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) and link them with ongoing community-based services. Although there are many acute care interventions to initiate SUD treatment in hospital settings, less is known about what services are offered to transition patients to ongoing care after discharge. In this study, we explore what SUD care transition strategies are offered across nonprofit US hospitals.

METHODS

We analyzed administrative documents from a national sample of US hospitals that indicated SUD as a top 5 significant community need in their Community Health Needs Assessment reports (2019-2021). Data were coded and categorized based on the nature of described services. We used data on hospitals and characteristics of surrounding counties to identify factors associated with hospitals' endorsement of transition interventions for SUD.

RESULTS

Of 613 included hospitals, 313 prioritized SUD as a significant community need. Fifty-three of these hospitals (17%) offered acute care interventions to support patients' transition to community-based SUD services. Most (68%) of the 53 hospitals described transition strategies without further detail, 23% described scheduling appointments before discharge, and 11% described discussing treatment options before discharge. No hospital characteristics were associated with offering transition interventions, but such hospitals were more likely to be in the Northeast, in counties with higher median income, and states that expanded Medicaid.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite high need, most US hospitals are not offering interventions to link patients with SUD from acute to community care. Efforts to increase acute care interventions for SUD should identify and implement best practices to support care continuity.

Mortality risk and causes of death among people who use opioids in a take-home naloxone cohort

BACKGROUND

People who use opioids (PWUO) have an excess mortality from a range of causes. The cumulative effect of behavioral, social, and health risk factors complicates the interpretation of the effects of suitable interventions. This study explores mortality causes among a cohort of PWUO in the take-home naloxone (THN) program.

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study of PWUO who received THN between 2015 and 2023. Participant data was linked with death registry data. Crude mortality rates and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for all causes, internal causes, and accidental opioid overdoses (AOOs). In addition to age and gender, risk factors like main route of administration, polydrug use, self-experienced overdoses, and using while alone were fitted in a Cox Regression model to explore factors associated with mortality.

RESULTS

The 2194 participants had a considerably higher mortality ratio for all causes investigated when compared to the general population (SMR=10.9, 95 % CI = 9.3,12.6). AOOs were the most prevalent cause of death (49 %). Those who reported frequent opioid use while alone had an elevated risk of dying of 2.6 (95 % CI = 1.1,6.4) compared to those who never used while alone.

CONCLUSIONS

Frequent opioid use while alone was associated with elevated mortality risk, supporting the importance of overdose prevention education with naloxone distribution, and additional efforts to improve environmental and social areas for safer drug-use practices among PWUO. The variety of mortality causes found in this study illustrates the need for multifaceted and targeted interventions for people at risk of overdosing.

Opioid-related overdose deaths among people experiencing homelessness, 2017 to 2021: A population-based analysis using coroner and health administrative data from Ontario, Canada

AIMS

To measure the change in proportion of opioid-related overdose deaths attributed to people experiencing homelessness and to compare the opioid-related fatalities between individuals experiencing homelessness and not experiencing homelessness at time of death.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Population-based, time-trend analysis using coroner and health administrative databases from Ontario, Canada from 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2021.

MEASUREMENTS

Quarterly proportion of opioid-related overdose deaths attributed to people experiencing homelessness. We also obtained socio-demographic and health characteristics of decedents, health-care encounters preceding death, substances directly contributing to death and circumstances surrounding deaths.

FINDINGS

A total of 6644 individuals (median age = 40 years, interquartile range = 31-51; 74.1% male) experienced an accidental opioid-related overdose death, among whom 884 (13.3%) were identified as experiencing homelessness at the time of death. The quarterly proportion of opioid-related overdose deaths attributed to people experiencing homelessness increased from 7.2% (26/359) in July-September 2017 to 16.8% (97/578) by April-June 2021 (trend test P < 0.01). Compared with housed decedents, those experiencing homelessness were younger (61.3 versus 53.1% aged 25-44), had higher prevalence of mental health or substance use disorders (77.1 versus 67.1%) and more often visited hospitals (32.1 versus 24.5%) and emergency departments (82.6 versus 68.5%) in the year prior to death. Fentanyl and its analogues more often directly contributed to death among people experiencing homelessness (94.0 versus 81.4%), as did stimulants (67.4 versus 51.6%); in contrast, methadone was less often present (7.8 versus 12.4%). Individuals experiencing homelessness were more often in the presence of a bystander during the acute toxicity event that led to death (55.8 versus 49.7%); and where another individual was present, more often had a resuscitation attempted (61.7 versus 55.1%) or naloxone administered (41.2 versus 28.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

People experiencing homelessness account for an increasing proportion of fatal opioid-related overdoses in Ontario, Canada, reaching nearly one in six such deaths in 2021.

Strategies to support substance use disorder care transitions from acute-care to community-based settings: a scoping review and typology

BACKGROUND

Acute-care interventions that identify patients with substance use disorders (SUDs), initiate treatment, and link patients to community-based services, have proliferated in recent years. Yet, much is unknown about the specific strategies being used to support continuity of care from emergency department (ED) or inpatient hospital settings to community-based SUD treatment. In this scoping review, we synthesize the existing literature on patient transition interventions, and form an initial typology of reported strategies.

METHODS

We searched Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL and PsychINFO for peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2021 that studied interventions linking patients with SUD from ED or inpatient hospital settings to community-based SUD services. Eligible articles measured at least one post-discharge treatment outcome and included a description of the strategy used to promote linkage to community care. Detailed information was extracted on the components of the transition strategies and a thematic coding process was used to categorize strategies into a typology based on shared characteristics. Facilitators and barriers to transitions of care were synthesized using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

RESULTS

Forty-five articles met inclusion criteria. 62% included ED interventions and 44% inpatient interventions. The majority focused on patients with opioid (71%) or alcohol (31%) use disorder. The transition strategies reported across studies were heterogeneous and often not well described. An initial typology of ten transition strategies, including five pre- and five post-discharge transition strategies is proposed. The most common strategy was scheduling an appointment with a community-based treatment provider prior to discharge. A range of facilitators and barriers were described, which can inform efforts to improve hospital-to-community transitions of care.

CONCLUSIONS

Strategies to support transitions from acute-care to community-based SUD services, although critical for ensuring continuity of care, vary greatly across interventions and are inconsistently measured and described. More research is needed to classify SUD care transition strategies, understand their components, and explore which lead to the best patient outcomes.

Aligning public health and public safety: Probation as a touchpoint to identify and link patients with opioid use disorder to opioid agonist treatment

BACKGROUND

People in criminal justice settings (CJS) have high rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) and HIV. Probation is part of the CJS and congregates many individuals with high rates of mental health and substance use disorders relative to the general population; nevertheless, probation remains a major improvement to incarceration. As a steppingstone to full decarceration efforts, community supervision settings like probation can be leveraged as "touchpoints" to identify and link people with OUD (and other co-morbid conditions) to treatment and reduce criminal activity.

METHODOLOGY

To determine the feasibility of a modified screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) strategy to link probationers to opioid agonist therapies (OAT) in the newly created probation system in Ukraine, we conducted a single-arm SBIRT intervention in eight probation centers in four Ukrainian administrative regions. For those screening positive for OUD, interest in OAT was assessed before and after a brief intervention. Those interested in OAT were referred to community OAT services. Participants with OUD also underwent HIV testing.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Of the 1,298 consecutive individuals screened, 208 (16.0%) met criteria for opioid dependence. Of these, 122 (58.7%) enrolled in brief intervention, of which 54 (44.3%) had HIV and 14 (25.9%) of these were newly diagnosed. After the brief intervention, interest in starting OAT increased significantly from a median of 7.0 to 8.0 (P = <0.001) using a 10-point scale. Thirty (N = 30; 24.6%) of the enrolled participants initiated OAT and 21 of these (70%) were retained in treatment for 6 months.

SIGNIFICANCE

The prevalence of OUD (and HIV) is high among people in probation in Ukraine. SBIRT can identify a large number of people eligible for OAT, many of whom were willing to initiate and remain on OAT. Integrating SBIRT into probation can potentially assist with OAT scale-up and help address HIV prevention efforts.

The police paradox: A qualitative study of post-overdose outreach program implementation through public health-public safety partnerships in Massachusetts

BACKGROUND

Post-overdose outreach has emerged in the United States as an increasingly common response to non-fatal overdose. This qualitative study investigates the implementation of such programs through public health-public safety partnerships in Massachusetts.

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured interviews with post-overdose outreach team members, overdose survivors, and family members who received outreach. Interview transcripts were inductively analyzed to identify emergent themes and subsequently organized within the framework of Ecological Systems Theory.

RESULTS

Forty-nine interviews were conducted, including 15 police officers (80% male, 100% non-Hispanic White); 23 public health partners (48% male, 87% non-Hispanic White); 8 overdose survivors who received outreach services and 3 parents of survivors who received services (collectively 27% male, 64% non-Hispanic White). Implementation factors identified across all levels (macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystem, and microsystem) of Ecological Systems Theory included key program facilitators, such as access to police data and funding (macro), interagency collaboration (exo), shared recognition of community needs (exo), supportive relationships among team members (meso), and program champions (micro). Common barriers included inherent contradictions between policing and public health mandates (macro), poor local treatment and service capacity (exo), divergent staff views of program goals (exo), overdose survivors' prior negative experiences with law enforcement (meso), difficulty locating overdose survivors (meso), and police officers' lack of qualifications or training in providing psycho-social services (micro).

CONCLUSIONS

Most post-overdose outreach programs in this study were dependent on funding and data-sharing partnerships, which police agencies largely controlled. Yet, police participation, especially during outreach visits presented numerous challenges for engaging overdose survivors and establishing non-coercive linkages with evidence-based services, which may undermine the public health goals of these programs. These findings should inform state and federal efforts to expand the role of law enforcement in behavioral health initiatives.

Characteristics of post-overdose outreach programs and municipal-level opioid overdose in Massachusetts

BACKGROUND

Post-overdose outreach programs have proliferated in response to opioid overdose. Implementing these programs is associated with reductions in overdose rates, but the role of specific program characteristics in overdose trends has not been evaluated.

METHODS

Among 58 Massachusetts municipalities with post-overdose outreach programs, we examined associations between five domains of post-overdose outreach program characteristics (outreach contact rate, naloxone distribution, coercive practices, harm reduction activities, and social service provision or referral) and rates of fatal opioid overdoses and opioid-related emergency medical system responses (i.e., ambulance activations) per calendar quarter from 2013 to 2019 using segmented regression analyses with adjustment for municipal covariates and fixed effects. For both outcomes, each domain was modeled: a) individually, b) with other characteristics, and c) with other characteristics and municipal-level fixed effects.

RESULTS

There were no significant associations (p < 0.05) between outreach contact rate, naloxone distribution, coercive practices, or harm reduction activities with municipal fatal overdose trends. Municipalities with programs providing or referring to more social services experienced 21% fewer fatal overdoses compared to programs providing or referring to more social services (Rate Ratio (RR) 0.79, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.66-0.93, p = 0.01). Compared to municipalities in quarters when programs had no outreach contacts, municipalities with some, but less than the median outreach contacts, experienced 14% lower opioid-related emergency responses (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.78-0.96, p = 0.01). Associations between naloxone distribution, coercive practices, harm reduction practices, or social services and opioid-related emergency responses were not consistently significant across modeling approaches.

CONCLUSION

Municipalities with post-overdose outreach programs providing or referring to more social services had lower fatal opioid overdose rates. Municipalities in quarters when programs outreached to overdose survivors had fewer opioid-related emergency responses, but only among programs with below the median number of outreach contacts. Social service linkage should be core to post-overdose programs. Evaluations should assess program characteristics to optimize program design.

Use of Big Data and Ethical Issues for Populations With Substance Use Disorder

With expanding data availability and computing power, health research is increasingly relying on big data from a variety of sources. We describe a state-level effort to address aspects of the opioid epidemic through public health research, which has resulted in an expansive data resource combining dozens of administrative data sources in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Public Health Data Warehouse is a public health innovation that serves as an example of how to address the complexities of balancing data privacy and access to data for public health and health services research. We discuss issues of data protection and data access, and provide recommendations for ethical data governance. Keeping these issues in mind, the use of this data resource has the potential to allow for transformative research on critical public health issues.

Challenges to Achieving HCV Micro-Elimination in People With HIV in the United States: Provider Perspectives and the Role of Implicit Bias

The prevalence of HIV/HCV (hepatitis C virus) co-infection is high particularly in persons who inject drugs (PWID) and is increasing because of the evolving opioid epidemic in the United States. The introduction of effective antiviral medications for HCV has raised the strategic goal of HCV micro-elimination, and efforts to understand the barriers to treatment are critical. In this study, we explored the provider perspective of factors that inhibit HCV micro-elimination efforts in people with HIV (PWH), including the role of implicit bias and related stigma in providers' health care decision making. We used the mixed-methods approach of nominal group technique (NGT) with 14 participants from 11 different clinics engaged in two virtual focus group sessions (n = 5 and n = 9). Responses from the NGTs were rank ordered during the sessions to identify providers' perspectives of major barriers and facilitators, then identified possible implicit bias after the NGTs concluded. There were 12 responses given for micro-elimination barriers with the three most prioritized being housing instability, medication nonadherence concerns, and inability to motivate patients. Of these, eight were categorized as potential implicit biases. Among the 14 responses given for facilitators of treatment, the three major solutions included distributive models of care, improved provider knowledge, and increased patient engagement. Although the solutions offered were insightful, there was consensus that the individual lives of patients were the root cause of most barriers to care. We recommend further research on behavioral design interventions that promote patients' involvement in decision making and focus on patients' eligibility criteria for HCV treatment as opposed to providers' perceived barriers to treatment.

Perspectives and recommendations of opioid overdose survivors experiencing unsheltered homelessness on housing, overdose, and substance use treatment in Boston, MA

INTRODUCTION

Opioid overdose causes one in four deaths among people experiencing homelessness in Boston, MA. To reduce overdose risks, the experience and perspectives of people experiencing homelessness should be incorporated into housing, overdose prevention, and substance use treatment efforts.

METHODS

In 2021, we conducted qualitative interviews with 59 opioid overdose survivors to inform equitable access to treatment services. In response to policy debate surrounding a public drug scene near a key recruitment site, we conducted a targeted thematic analysis of transcribed interview data from a subset of participants experiencing unsheltered homelessness (n=29) to explore their perspectives and recommendations on housing, overdose prevention, and substance use treatment.

RESULTS

Among 29 participants who identified as non-Hispanic Black (n=10), Hispanic/Latinx (n=10), or as non-Hispanic White (n=9), the median number of self-reported opioid overdoses in the past three months was 2.0 (SD 3.7). Three themes emerged from this targeted analysis: (1) Participants described inadequate housing resources and unwelcoming shelter environments. (2) Participants near a large public drug scene explained how unsheltered homelessness was chaotic, dangerous, and disruptive to recovery goals. (3) Participants provided recommendations for improving housing and addiction treatment systems and including their perspectives in the development of solutions to the intersecting housing and opioid overdose crises.

CONCLUSIONS

The overdose prevention, housing and substance use treatment systems must address the needs of opioid overdose survivors experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Overdose survivors experiencing unsheltered homelessness described a chaotic public drug scene but resorted to residing in nearby encampments because the existing shelter, housing, and addiction treatment systems were unwelcoming, difficult to navigate, or unaffordable. Despite efforts to provide low-threshold housing in Boston, additional low-barrier housing services (i.e., including harm reduction resources and without "sobriety" requirements) could promote the health and safety of people who use drugs and are experiencing homelessness.

Health care and harm reduction provider perspectives on treating older adults who use non-medical opioids: a qualitative study set in Chicago

BACKGROUND

Opioid overdose death rates are increasing for adults aged 55 and older, with especially high rates in large urban areas. In parallel, admissions to treatment programs for older adults using illicit substances are increasing as well. Despite these trends, there is a lack of information about older adults who use non-medical opioids (NMO) and even less knowledge about their health and service encounters. Conducted in Chicago, Illinois, this qualitative study explores the perspectives of health care and harm reduction service providers who work with older adults using non-medical opioids.

METHODS

The study used snowball sampling to locate participants with expertise in working with older adults who use non-medical opioids. In total, we conducted 26 semi-structured interviews from September 2021-August 2022. We explored questions regarding participants' perceptions of older adult opioid use patterns, comorbidities, and involvement in harm reduction outreach and opioid use disorder treatment.

RESULTS

Many of the providers we interviewed consider older adults who use NMO as a distinct population that employ unique use behaviors with the intent to protect them from opioid overdose. However, these same unique behaviors may potentiate their risk for overdose in today's climate. Providers report initial encounters that are not care seeking for opioid use and primarily oriented around health conditions. Older adults who use non-medical opioids are seen as complex patients due to the need to diagnostically untangle symptoms of substance use from co-morbidities and conditions associated with aging. Treatment for this population is also viewed as complicated due to the interactions between aging, comorbidities, and substance use. Providers also noted that older adults who use NMO have use behaviors that make them less visible to outreach and treatment service providers, potentially putting them at increased risk for overdose and health conditions associated with opioid use.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study are intended to inform future research on care provision for older adults who use non-medical opioids and may be especially applicable to large urban reas with histories of opioid use dating back to earlier drug epidemics of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Rapid Methadone Induction in a General Hospital Setting: A Retrospective, Observational Analysis

BACKGROUND

Outpatient methadone guidelines recommend starting at a low dose and titrating slowly. As fentanyl prevalence and opioid-related mortality increases, there is a need for individuals to rapidly achieve a therapeutic methadone dose. Hospitalization offers a monitored setting for methadone initiation, however dosing practices and safety are not well described.

METHODS

Retrospective, observational analysis of hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder seen by an inpatient addiction consult team in an academic medical center who were newly initiated on methadone between 2016 and 2022. We calculated initial daily dose, maximum daily dose, timing interval of dose escalation, whether patients were connected to an opioid treatment program (OTP) prior to discharge, whether adverse effects or safety events occurred during the hospitalization, and whether such events were definitely or probably related versus possibly related or unrelated to methadone.

RESULTS

One hundred twelve patients were included. The mean initial daily methadone dose administered was 32 mg (range: 10-90 mg). The mean maximum dose reached was 76.8 mg (range 30-165 mg). The mean number of days from initial to peak dose was 5.6 days (range 1-19 days). Overall, 30% of patients experienced a safety event, most commonly sedation. Only 4 safety events were deemed probably or definitely related to methadone. In regression analyses, there was no significant difference between starting doses among patients with or without sedation but there was a relationship between last dose and the likelihood of any possibly related event, with those ending at a dose of 100 mg or higher having a higher likelihood event, compared to those ending at lower doses (47.8% vs 12.4%, P < .001). Seventy-six percent were connected to OTP before discharge.

CONCLUSION

Among hospitalized patients initiating methadone, rapid dose titration was infrequently associated with related safety events and most were connected to community-based methadone treatment before discharge.

Strategies to support substance use disorder care transitions from acute-care to community-based settings: A Scoping review and typology

Background

Acute-care interventions that identify patients with substance use disorders (SUDs), initiate treatment, and link patients to community-based services, have proliferated in recent years. Yet, much is unknown about the specific strategies being used to support continuity of care from emergency department (ED) or inpatient hospital settings to community-based SUD treatment. In this scoping review, we synthesize the existing literature on patient transition interventions, and form an initial typology of reported strategies.

Methods

We searched Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL and PsychINFO for peer-reviewed articles published between 2000-2021 that studied interventions linking SUD patients from ED or inpatient hospital settings to community-based SUD services. Eligible articles measured at least one post-discharge treatment outcome and included a description of the strategy used to promote linkage to community care. Detailed information was extracted on the components of the transition strategies and a thematic coding process was used to categorize strategies into a typology based on shared characteristics. Facilitators and barriers to transitions of care were synthesized using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Results

Forty-five articles met inclusion criteria. 62% included ED interventions and 44% inpatient interventions. The majority focused on patients with opioid (71%) followed by alcohol (31%) use disorder. The transition strategies reported across studies were heterogeneous and often not well described. An initial typology of ten transition strategies, including five pre- and five post-discharge transition strategies is proposed. The most common strategy was scheduling an appointment with a community-based treatment provider prior to discharge. A range of facilitators and barriers were described, which can inform efforts to improve hospital-to-community transitions of care.

Conclusions

Strategies to support transitions from acute-care to community-based SUD services, although critical for ensuring continuity of care, vary greatly across interventions and are inconsistently measured and described. More research is needed to classify SUD care transition strategies, understand their components, and explore which lead to the best patient outcomes.

The role of health plans in addressing the opioid crisis: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

Health plans are key players in substance use treatment in the United States, and the opioid crisis presents new challenges for them. This article is part of the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) funded by NIH, which seeks to facilitate communities' adoption of activities that might reduce overdose deaths, including overdose prevention education and naloxone distribution, medication for opioid use disorder, and safer opioid prescribing. We examine how health plans in one state (Massachusetts) are adapting to encourage and sustain activities that help communities to address opioid use disorder (OUD).

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured interviews with managers of behavioral health services at eight health plans in Massachusetts that that have Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial lines of business. Two plans in this sample contract with a specialized behavioral health organization ("carve-out"). The interviewees also completed a survey on policies regarding access to treatment and opioid prescribing. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Analysis of the data included intended influence of the policies at three levels: member level (micro), group or community level (meso), and system or institutional level (macro).

RESULTS

All health plans developed strategies to increase access to treatment for OUD, primarily through eliminating or decreasing cost-sharing, eliminating pre-authorization for MOUD, and increasing supply of providers. Health plans encourage qualified practitioners to offer MOUD, but most do not provide incentives or training. Identifying high risk populations is a focus of health plans in this sample. Naloxone is a covered benefit in all health plans, although with variation in monthly limits and cost-sharing. Most health plans take measures to influence opioid prescribing. Health plans' activities are predominately aimed at the micro (member) level with little ability to influence at the macro (wider system-level changes).

CONCLUSION

This study provides insight into how health plans develop strategies to address the rise in OUD and fatal opioid overdoses, many of which are key in the HCS initiative. How active a role health plans play in addressing the opioid crisis varies, even within the insurance industry in one state (Massachusetts).

Change in opioid and buprenorphine prescribers and prescriptions by specialty, 2016-2021

BACKGROUND

Safer opioid analgesic prescribing and increasing use of medications for opioid use disorder, including buprenorphine, are strategies prioritized to reduce opioid overdose deaths in the United States. Specialty-specific trends in the number of prescribers and prescriptions for opioid analgesics and buprenorphine are not well characterized.

METHODS

We used data from the IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription database for January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2021. We identified opioid and buprenorphine prescriptions based on NDC codes. We classified prescribers into one of 14 mutually exclusive specialty groups. We calculated the number of prescribers and number of prescriptions for opioids and buprenorphine by specialty and year.

RESULTS

From 2016 to 2021, the total number of opioid analgesic prescriptions dispensed decreased by 32% to 121,693,308 and the number of unique opioid analgesic prescribers decreased 7% to 966,369. Over the same time period, the number of buprenorphine prescriptions dispensed increased 36% to 13,909,724 and unique number of buprenorphine prescribers increased 86% to 59,090. Across most specialties we identified a contraction in the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed and opioid prescribers and an expansion in the number of buprenorphine prescriptions dispensed. Among high-volume opioid prescribing specialties, the largest decrease in opioid prescribers was 32% among Pain Medicine clinicians. By 2021, Advanced Practice Practitioners overtook Primary Care clinicians as the highest volume buprenorphine prescribers.

CONCLUSIONS

More work is needed to understand the impact of clinicians who stop prescribing opioids. While the trend in buprenorphine prescribing is encouraging, further expansion is warranted to meet the underlying need.

Racial Inequality in Receipt of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

BACKGROUND

Since 2010, Black persons in the United States have had a greater increase in opioid overdose-related mortality than other groups, but national-level evidence characterizing racial and ethnic disparities in the use of medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) is limited.

METHODS

We used Medicare claims data from the 2016-2019 period for a random 40% sample of fee-for-service beneficiaries who were Black, Hispanic, or White; were eligible for Medicare owing to disability; and had an index event related to OUD (nonfatal overdose treated in an emergency department or inpatient setting, hospitalization with injection drug use-related infection, or inpatient or residential rehabilitation or detoxification care). We measured the receipt of medications to treat OUD (buprenorphine, naltrexone, and naloxone), the receipt of high-risk medications (opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines), and health care utilization, all in the 180 days after the index event. We estimated differences in outcomes according to race and ethnic group with adjustment for beneficiary age, sex, index event, count of chronic coexisting conditions, and state of residence.

RESULTS

We identified 25,904 OUD-related index events among 23,370 beneficiaries, with 3937 events (15.2%) occurring among Black patients, 2105 (8.1%) among Hispanic patients, and 19,862 (76.7%) among White patients. In the 180 days after the index event, patients received buprenorphine after 12.7% of events among Black patients, after 18.7% of those among Hispanic patients, and after 23.3% of those among White patients; patients received naloxone after 14.4%, 20.7%, and 22.9%, respectively; and patients received benzodiazepines after 23.4%, 29.6%, and 37.1%, respectively. Racial differences in the receipt of medications to treat OUD did not change appreciably from 2016 to 2019 (buprenorphine receipt: after 9.1% of index events among Black patients vs. 21.6% of those among White patients in 2016, and after 14.1% vs. 25.5% in 2019). In all study groups, patients had multiple ambulatory visits in the 180 days after the index event (mean number of visits, 6.6 after events among Black patients, 6.7 after events among Hispanic patients, and 7.6 after events among White patients).

CONCLUSIONS

Racial and ethnic differences in the receipt of medications to treat OUD after an index event related to this disorder among patients with disability were substantial and did not change over time. The high incidence of ambulatory visits in all groups showed that disparities persisted despite frequent health care contact. (Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Aging.).

Record linkage studies of drug-related deaths among adults who were released from prison to the community: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

There are public health concerns about an increased risk of mortality after release from prison. The objectives of this scoping review were to investigate, map and summarise evidence from record linkage studies about drug-related deaths among former adult prisoners.

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO and Web of Science were searched for studies (January 2011- September 2021) using keywords/index headings. Two authors independently screened all titles and abstracts using inclusion and exclusion criteria and subsequently screened full publications. Discrepancies were discussed with a third author. One author extracted data from all included publications using a data charting form. A second author independently extracted data from approximately one-third of the publications. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel sheets and cleaned for analysis. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were pooled (where possible) using a random-effects DerSimonian-Laird model in STATA.

RESULTS

A total of 3680 publications were screened by title and abstract, and 109 publications were fully screened; 45 publications were included. The pooled drug-related SMR was 27.07 (95%CI 13.32- 55.02; I 2 = 93.99%) for the first two weeks (4 studies), 10.17 (95%CI 3.74-27.66; I 2 = 83.83%) for the first 3-4 weeks (3 studies) and 15.58 (95%CI 7.05-34.40; I 2 = 97.99%) for the first 1 year after release (3 studies) and 6.99 (95%CI 4.13-11.83; I 2 = 99.14%) for any time after release (5 studies). However, the estimates varied markedly between studies. There was considerable heterogeneity in terms of study design, study size, location, methodology and findings. Only four studies reported the use of a quality assessment checklist/technique.

CONCLUSIONS

This scoping review found an increased risk of drug-related death after release from prison, particularly during the first two weeks after release, though drug-related mortality risk remained elevated for the first year among former prisoners. Evidence synthesis was limited as only a small number of studies were suitable for pooled analyses for SMRs due to inconsistencies in study design and methodology.

Resident Communication With Patients and Families Preferring Languages Other Than English

OBJECTIVES

Patients and families preferring languages other than English (LOE) often experience inequitable communication with their health care providers, including the underutilization of professional interpretation. This study had 2 aims: to characterize resident-perceived communication with families preferring LOE and to evaluate the impact of language preference on frequency of resident interactions with hospitalized patients and families.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study at a quaternary care children's hospital. We developed a questionnaire for residents regarding their interactions with patients preferring LOE. We concurrently developed a communication tracking tool to measure the frequency of resident communication events with hospitalized patients. Data were analyzed with logistic and Poisson regression models.

RESULTS

Questionnaire results demonstrated a high level of resident comfort with interpretation, though more than 30% of residents reported "sometimes" or "usually" communicating with families preferring LOE without appropriate interpretation (response rate, 47%). The communication tracking tool was completed by 36 unique residents regarding 151 patients, with a 95% completion rate. Results demonstrated that patients and families preferring LOE were less likely to be present on rounds compared with their counterparts preferring English (adjusted odds ratio, 0.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.07-0.39). Similarly, patients and families preferring LOE were less likely to receive a resident update after rounds (adjusted odds ratio, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.13-0.62) and received fewer resident updates overall (incidence rate ratio, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.30-0.69).

CONCLUSIONS

Hospitalized patients and families preferring LOE experience significant communication-related inequities. Ongoing efforts are needed to promote equitable communication with this population and should consider the unique role of residents.

Methadone Induction for a Patient With Precipitated Withdrawal in the Emergency Department: A Case Report

In the era of illicit fentanyl, reports on difficulties with buprenorphine inductions for patients with opioid use disorder are emerging. Methadone is the only other approved medication treatment with efficacy similar to buprenorphine but without risks of precipitated withdrawal. Unfortunately, outpatient methadone inductions can take days to weeks to complete, due in part to regulations that limit administration to opioid treatment programs. We describe a patient with opioid use disorder who presented to the emergency department in precipitated withdrawal who completed a same-day methadone induction with next-day dosing at an opioid treatment program as part of an emergency department methadone protocol. As opioid-related deaths rise, emergency department-initiated methadone is feasible for patients with opioid use disorder.

Association of Implementation of Postoverdose Outreach Programs With Subsequent Opioid Overdose Deaths Among Massachusetts Municipalities

Importance

Nonfatal opioid overdose is the leading risk factor for subsequent fatal overdose and represents a critical opportunity to reduce future overdose and mortality. Postoverdose outreach programs emerged in Massachusetts beginning in 2013 with the main purpose of linking opioid overdose survivors to addiction treatment and harm reduction services.

Objective

To evaluate whether the implementation of postoverdose outreach programs among Massachusetts municipalities was associated with lower opioid fatality rates compared with municipalities without postoverdose outreach programs.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective interrupted time-series analysis was performed over 26 quarters (from January 1, 2013, through June 30, 2019) across 93 municipalities in Massachusetts. These 93 municipalities were selected based on a threshold of 30 or more opioid-related emergency medical services (EMS) responses in 2015. Data were analyzed from November 2021 to August 2022.

Exposures

The main exposure was municipality postoverdose outreach programs. Municipalities had various program inceptions during the study period.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was quarterly municipal opioid fatality rate per 100 000 population. The secondary outcome was quarterly municipal opioid-related EMS response (ambulance trips) rates per 100 000 population.

Results

The mean (SD) population size across 93 municipalities was 47 622 (70 307), the mean (SD) proportion of female individuals was 51.5% (1.5%) and male individuals was 48.5% (1.5%), and the mean (SD) age proportions were 29.7% (4.0%) younger than 25 years, 26.0% (4.8%) aged 25 to 44 years, 14.8% (2.1%) aged 45 to 54 years, 13.4% (2.1%) aged 55 to 64 years, and 16.1% (4.4%) aged 65 years or older. Postoverdose programs were implemented in 58 municipalities (62%). Following implementation, there were no significant level changes in opioid fatality rate (adjusted rate ratio [aRR], 1.07; 95% CI, 0.96-1.19; P = .20). However, there was a significant slope decrease in opioid fatality rate (annualized aRR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90-0.98; P = .003) compared with the municipalities without the outreach programs. Similarly, there was a significant slope decrease in opioid-related EMS response rates (annualized aRR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89-0.98; P = .007). Several sensitivity analyses yielded similar findings.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, among Massachusetts municipalities with high numbers of opioid-related EMS responses, implementation of postoverdose outreach programs was significantly associated with lower opioid fatality rates over time compared with municipalities that did not implement such programs. Program components, including cross-sectoral partnerships, operational best practices, involvement of law enforcement, and related program costs, warrant further evaluation to enhance effectiveness.

Antecedents of fatal overdose in an adult cohort identified through administrative record linkage in Indiana, 2015-2022

BACKGROUND

The United States continues to experience unprecedented rates of overdose mortality and need to identify effective policies or practices that can be implemented. This study aims to measure the prevalence, frequency, timing, and rate of touchpoints that occurred prior to a fatal overdose where communities might intervene.

METHODS

In collaboration with Indiana state government, we conducted record-linkage of statewide administrative datasets to vital records (January 1, 2015, through August 26, 2022) to identify touchpoints (jail booking, prison release, prescription medication dispensation, emergency department visits, and emergency medical services). We examined touchpoints within 12-months prior to a fatal overdose among an adult cohort and explored variation over time and by demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

Over the 92-month study period there were 13,882 overdose deaths (89.3% accidental poisonings, X40-X44) in our adult cohort that were record-linked to multiple administrative datasets and revealed nearly two-thirds (64.7%; n=8980) experienced an emergency department visit, the most prevalent touchpoint followed by prescription medication dispensation, emergency medical services responses, jail booking, and prison release. However, with approximately 1 out of every 100 returning citizens dying from drug overdose within 12-months of release, prison release had the highest touchpoint rate followed by emergency medical services responses, jail booking, emergency department visits, and prescription medication dispensation.

CONCLUSION

Record-linking administrative data from routine practice to vital records from overdose mortality is a viable means of identifying where resources should be situated to reduce fatal overdose, with potential to evaluate the effectiveness of overdose prevention efforts.

The Future of the United States Overdose Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities

Policy Points People are dying at record numbers from overdose in the United States. Concerted action has led to a number of successes, including reduced inappropriate opioid prescribing and increased availability of opioid use disorder treatment and harm-reduction efforts, yet ongoing challenges include criminalization of drug use and regulatory and stigma barriers to expansion of treatment and harm-reduction services. Priorities for action include investing in evidence-based and compassionate policies and programs that address sources of opioid demand, decriminalizing drug use and drug paraphernalia, enacting policies to make medication for opioid use disorder more accessible, and promoting drug checking and safe drug supply.

Concordance between controlled substance receipt and post-mortem toxicology in opioid-detected overdose deaths: A statewide analysis

BACKGROUND

Opioid overdoses are a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. There is limited research linking decedents' receipt of controlled substances and presence of controlled substances on post-mortem toxicology (PMT).

METHODS

We linked data on opioid-detected deaths in Connecticut between May 3, 2016, and December 31, 2017 from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Department of Consumer Protection, and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Exposure was defined as receipt of an opioid or benzodiazepine prescription within 90 days prior to death. Our primary outcome was concordance between medication received and metabolites in PMT.

RESULTS

Our analysis included 1412 opioid-detected overdose deaths. 47 % received an opioid or benzodiazepine 90 days prior to death; 36 % received an opioid and 27 % received a benzodiazepine. Concordance between receipt of an opioid or benzodiazepine and its presence in PMT was observed in 30 % of opioid-detected deaths. Concordance with an opioid was present in 17 % of opioid-detected deaths and concordance with a benzodiazepine was present in 21 % of opioid-detected deaths. Receipt of an opioid or benzodiazepine and concordance with PMT were less common in fentanyl or heroin-detected deaths and more common in pharmaceutical opioid-detected deaths.

DISCUSSION

Our results suggest medically supplied opioids and benzodiazepines potentially contributed to a substantial number, though minority, of opioid-detected deaths during the study period. Efforts to reduce opioid and benzodiazepine prescribing may reduce risk of opioid-detected deaths in this group, but other approaches will be needed to address most opioid-detected deaths that involved non-pharmaceutical opioids.

Transitions in care between hospital and community settings for individuals with a substance use disorder: A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Individuals with a substance use disorder (SUD) have high rates of hospital service utilization including emergency department (ED) presentations and hospital admissions. Acute care settings offer a critical opportunity to engage individuals in addiction care and improve health outcomes especially given that the period of transition from hospital to community is challenging. This review summarizes literature on interventions for optimizing transitions in care from hospital to community for individuals with a SUD.

METHODS

The literature search focused on key terms associated with transitions in care and SUD. The search was conducted on three databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsychInfo. Eligible studies evaluated interventions acting prior to or during transitions in care from hospital to community and reported post-discharge engagement in specialized addiction care and/or return to hospital and were published since 2010.

RESULTS

Title and abstract screening were conducted for 2337 records. Overall, 31 studies met inclusion criteria, including 7 randomized controlled trials and 24 quasi-experimental designs which focused on opioid use (n = 8), alcohol use (n = 5), or polysubstance use (n = 18). Interventions included pharmacotherapy initiation (n = 7), addiction consult services (n = 9), protocol implementation (n = 3), screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (n = 2), patient navigation (n = 4), case management (n = 1), and recovery coaching (n = 3).

CONCLUSIONS

Both pharmacologic and psychosocial interventions implemented around transitions from acute to community care settings can improve engagement in care and reduce hospital readmission and ED presentations. Future research should focus on long-term health and social outcomes to improve quality of care for individuals with a SUD.

Post-overdose follow-up in the community with peer recovery specialists: the Lake Superior Diversion and Substance Use Response Team

Background

As the overdose epidemic continues to worsen, nonfatal overdose calls for service represent a critical touchpoint for intervention. While most studies have focused on law enforcement led post-overdose follow-up, the current study describes the programmatic characteristics and outcomes of a non-law enforcement post overdose program comprised of peer specialists embedded within a local police department.

Methods

We examined information on 341 follow-up responses occurring over a 16-month study period using administrative data. We assessed programmatic characteristics including demographic information on clients, referral source, engagement type, and goal completion.

Results

The results indicate that over 60% of client referrals ended in the goal of in-person contact. Of those, about 80% went on to complete an engagement goal with the peer specialist. We found no significant variation in client demographics and referral source or follow-up engagement (in-person or not); however, client referrals from law enforcement first responders, the most common source, are significantly less likely to result in an in-person contact, though, if contact is made, similarly likely to complete an engagement goal.

Conclusions

Post overdose response programs that do not involve law enforcement are exceedingly rare. Given that some research has shown that police involvement in post overdose response can have unexpected, associated harms, it is important to assess the effectiveness of post overdose programs that do not involve the police. Findings here suggest that this type of program is successful at locating and engaging community members into recovery support services who have experienced an overdose.

Efficacy of Low-Dose Versus Traditional Buprenorphine Induction in the Hospital: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence suggests low-dose buprenorphine (LDB) induction can expand opportunities for buprenorphine induction in patients who are taking taking methadone, short-acting opioid agonists, or who have anxiety about opioid withdrawal.

STUDY QUESTION

How is a rapid LDB protocol using transdermal buprenorphine tolerated in the hospital?

STUDY DESIGN

A prospective study of 20 patient encounters (n = 20 patients) with traditional buprenorphine induction before implementation of study protocol (control group) and 37 patient encounters (n = 34 patients) with LDB induction protocol (pilot group). Summary statistics were used to describe demographics, clinical opioid withdrawal scale and pain scores within 24 hours preprotocol and within 24 hours postprotocol initiation, hospital length of stay after protocol initiation, receipt of a buprenorphine prescription at discharge, and prescription activity at 30 days. T test and chi-square tests were used to analyze comparisons. A subset of pilot group patients completed a survey about their experience.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant differences in pain and clinical opioid withdrawal scale scores between the pilot and control groups. There were 5 instances of precipitated withdrawal in the pilot group. There was no statistically significant difference in mean discharge time after protocol initiation between the pilot and control groups (P = 0.60). Most patients surveyed described a positive experience with LDB induction.

CONCLUSION

Hospitalization is a critical time to initiate buprenorphine for patients with opioid use disorder. Our data adds to the growing evidence that LDB induction is feasible for patients taking methadone and short-acting opioid agonists, and that a more rapid induction protocol is generally well-tolerated by patients although precipitated withdrawal is a risk. Finally, our rapid induction protocol did not seem to increase hospital length of stay compared with traditional induction.

Medication for opioid use disorder treatment continuity post-release from jail: A qualitative study with community-based treatment providers

BACKGROUND

People released from jail are at elevated opioid overdose risk. Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are effective in reducing overdoses. MOUD treatment was recently mandated in seven Massachusetts jails, but little is known about barriers and facilitators to treatment continuity post-release. We aimed to assess MOUD provider perspectives on treatment continuity among people released from jail.

METHODS

We conducted qualitative interviews with 36 medical, supervisory, and administrative staff at MOUD programs that serve jail-referred patients. We used the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) implementation science framework to guide development of instruments, codes, and analyses. We employed deductive and inductive coding, and a grounded theory analytical approach to identify salient themes.

RESULTS

Inner context findings highlighted necessary adjustments among jail staff to approve MOUD treatment, especially with agonist medications that were previously considered contraband. Participants perceived that some staff within jails favored abstinence-based recovery, viewing agonists as a crutch. Bridging results highlighted the importance of inter-agency communication and coordination to ensure information transfer for seamless treatment continuity in the community post-release. Pre-release planning, release on pre-scheduled dates, medication provision to cover gaps between jail release and intake at community MOUD sites, and exchange of treatment information across agencies were viewed as paramount to success. Unexpected early releases and releases from court were viewed as barriers to treatment coordination. Outer context domains were largely tied to social determinants of health. Substantial barriers to treatment continuity included shelter, food security, employment, transportation, and insurance reactivation.

CONCLUSION

Through qualitative interviews with community-based MOUD staff, we identified salient barriers and facilitators to treatment continuity post-release from jails. Findings point to needed investments in care coordination, staffing, and funding to strengthen jail-to-community-based MOUD treatment, removing barriers to continuity, and decreasing opioid overdose deaths during this high-risk transition.

Opioid Use Disorder Among Ohio's Medicaid Population: Prevalence Estimates From 19 Counties Using a Multiplier Method

The decades-long overdose epidemic in the United States is driven by opioid misuse. Overdoses commonly, although not exclusively, occur in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). To allocate adequate resources and develop appropriately scaled public health responses, accurate estimation of the prevalence of OUD is needed. Indirect methods (e.g., a multiplier method) of estimating prevalence of problematic substance-use behavior circumvent some limitations of household surveys and use of administrative data. We used a multiplier method to estimate OUD prevalence among the adult Medicaid population (ages 18-64 years) in 19 Ohio counties that are highly affected by overdose. We used Medicaid claims data and the US National Vital Statistics System overdose death data, which were linked at the person level. A statistical model leveraged opioid-related death rate information from a group with known OUD to estimate prevalence among a group with unknown OUD status given recorded opioid-related deaths in that group. We estimated that 13.6% of the total study population had OUD in 2019. Men (16.7%) had a higher prevalence of OUD than women (11.4%), and persons aged 35-54 had the highest prevalence (16.7%). Our approach to prevalence estimation has important implications for OUD surveillance and treatment in the United States.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Post Overdose Support Team Initiative: A Public Health-Centered Co-Response Model for Post-Overdose Outreach

CONTEXT

Post-overdose outreach programs have emerged in response to surging overdose deaths amid fentanyl contamination of the illicit opioid supply. Predominantly centered in police departments in collaboration with public health providers, these programs conduct home-based outreach with survivors and their social networks following an overdose.

APPROACH

We describe implementation of the Post Overdose Support Team (POST) initiative, an ongoing public health funded and centered approach. Post Overdose Support Team is a person-centered model led by harm reductionists in health and human services agencies in collaboration with municipal first responders. The goal of POST is to engage overdose survivors and their social network to improve general health, connect people to services (including access to treatment, if desired), and reduce risk of subsequent overdose.

IMPLEMENTATION

Nine agencies in Massachusetts that are part of the state's overdose education and naloxone distribution network implemented POST programs, covering 28 municipalities. The POST teams conduct home-based outreach with individuals who experienced an opioid-related overdose to provide a menu of services, including naloxone rescue kits, overdose response and risk reduction planning, referral to treatment for substance use disorders, including medication for opioid use disorder, and referral to recovery and family supports.

EVALUATION

From October 2017 to October 2021, the POST teams attempted to reach 5634 overdose survivors via 10 536 outreach visits. Teams successfully engaged 3014 survivors, either directly or through contact with their social network (53.5% success rate). Using data from a real-time encounter-level database, monthly peer-sharing calls with program sites, and annual site visits, we describe the implementation of the POST initiative and provide practice-based recommendations and lessons learned.

DISCUSSION

Early evidence suggests that the POST initiative is meeting its goal to engage overdose survivors, improve general health, and reduce subsequent overdose risk. Future evaluations should examine long-term outcomes among participants, including service linkages and incremental behavior change.

Substance use disorders and social determinants of health from electronic medical records obtained during Kentucky's "triple wave"

Social determinants of health (SDOH) play a critical role in the risk of harmful drug use. Examining SDOH as a means of differentiating populations with multiple co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) is particularly salient in the era of prevalent opioid and stimulant use known as the "Third Wave". This study uses electronic medical records (EMRs) from a safety net hospital system from 14,032 patients in Kentucky from 2017 to 2019 in order to 1) define three types of SUD cohorts with shared/unique risk factors, 2) identify patients with unstable housing using novel methods for EMRs and 3) link patients to their residential neighborhood to obtain quantitative perspective on social vulnerability. We identified patients in three cohorts with statistically significant unique risk factors that included race, biological sex, insurance type, smoking status, and urban/rural residential location. Adjusting for these variables, we found a statistically significant, increasing risk gradient for patients experiencing unstable housing by cohort type: opioid-only (n = 7385, reference), stimulant-only (n = 4794, odds ratio (aOR) 1.86 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.66-2.09), and co-diagnosed (n = 1853, aOR = 2.75, 95 % CI: 2.39 to 3.16). At the neighborhood-level, we used 8 different measures of social vulnerability and found that, for the most part, increasing proportions of patients with stimulant use living in a census tract was associated with more social vulnerability. Our study identifies potentially modifiable factors that can be tailored by substance type and demonstrates robust use of EMRs to meet national goals of enhancing research on social determinants of health.

Comparing Practices Used in Overdose Fatality Review Teams to Recommended Implementation Guidelines

OBJECTIVES

Overdose fatality review teams are a public health and public safety collaboration that reviews fatality cases using a multidisciplinary team to provide recommendations for overdose prevention. No research exists on the case review practices currently being used in these programs.

DESIGN

We administered a cross-sectional survey measuring case review practices and perceptions to a convenience sample of overdose fatality review teams.

SETTING

We administered the online survey to participants at a national virtual forum on overdose fatality review.

PARTICIPANTS

In this study, we examined 30 county-level overdose fatality review teams from 6 states who completed the survey.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

We developed measures of case review practices from an overdose fatality review implementation guide. We provided descriptive statistics on the survey items used to measure these practices and examined how practice uptake varied by overdose fatality review team characteristics.

RESULTS

Most overdose fatality review teams had adequate representation and membership, but none adhered to all of the practices measured from the implementation guide. The largest gap was in perceived effectiveness and implementation of case review recommendations. In addition, teams that had been reviewing cases for longer reported more adherence to recommended practices.

CONCLUSIONS

Overdose fatality case review is a collaboration between local public health and public safety agencies that holds great promise. However, these teams will require additional training and technical assistance with local community support to ensure that recommendations are actionable.

Protocol for community-driven selection of strategies to implement evidence-based practices to reduce opioid overdoses in the HEALing Communities Study: a trial to evaluate a community-engaged intervention in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio

INTRODUCTION

Opioid-involved overdose deaths continue to surge in many communities, despite numerous evidence-based practices (EBPs) that exist to prevent them. The HEALing Communities Study (HCS) was launched to develop and test an intervention (ie, Communities That HEAL (CTH)) that supports communities in expanding uptake of EBPs to reduce opioid-involved overdose deaths. This paper describes a protocol for a process foundational to the CTH intervention through which community coalitions select strategies to implement EBPs locally.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The CTH is being implemented in 67 communities (randomised to receive the intervention) in four states in partnership with coalitions (one per community). Coalitions must select at least five strategies, including one to implement each of the following EBPs: (a) overdose education and naloxone distribution; expanded (b) access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), (c) linkage to MOUD, (d) retention in MOUD and (e) safer opioid prescribing/dispensing. Facilitated by decision aid tools, the community action planning process includes (1) data-driven goal setting, (2) discussion and prioritisation of EBP strategies, (3) selection of EBP strategies and (4) identification of next steps. Following review of epidemiologic data and information on existing local services, coalitions set goals and discuss, score and/or rank EBP strategies based on feasibility, appropriateness within the community context and potential impact on reducing opioid-involved overdose deaths with a focus on three key sectors (healthcare, behavioural health and criminal justice) and high-risk/vulnerable populations. Coalitions then select EBP strategies through consensus or majority vote and, subsequently, suggest or choose agencies with which to partner for implementation.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The HCS protocol was approved by a central Institutional Review Board (Advarra). Results of the action planning process will be disseminated in academic conferences and peer-reviewed journals, online and print media, and in meetings with community stakeholders.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04111939.

Civil commitment for opioid misuse: do short-term benefits outweigh long-term harms?

In response to a sharp rise in opioid-involved overdose deaths in the USA, states have deployed increasingly aggressive strategies to limit the loss of life, including civil commitment-the forcible detention of individuals whose opioid use presents a clear and convincing danger to themselves or others. While civil commitment often succeeds in providing short-term protection from overdose, emerging evidence suggests that it may be associated with long-term harms, including heightened risk of severe withdrawal, relapse and opioid-involved mortality. To better assess and mitigate these harms, states should collect more robust data on long-term health outcomes, decriminalise proceedings and stays, provide access to medications for opioid use disorder and strengthen post-release coordination of community-based treatment.

Expanding Inpatient Addiction Consult Services Through Accountable Care Organizations for Medicaid Enrollees: A Modeling Study

INTRODUCTION

Addiction consult services (ACS) care for hospitalized patients with substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder (OUD). Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) could enhance access to ACS. This study extends data from Oregon's only ACS to Oregon's 15 regional Medicaid Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) to illustrate the potential value of enhanced in- and out-patient care for hospitalized patients with OUD. The study objectives were to estimate the effects of (1) expanding ACS care through CCOs in Oregon, and (2) increasing community treatment access within CCOs, on post-discharge OUD treatment engagement.

METHODS

We used a validated Markov model, populated with Oregon Medicaid data from April 2015 to December 2017, to estimate study objectives.

RESULTS

Oregon Medicaid patients hospitalized with OUD with care billed to a CCO (n = 5878) included 1298 (22.1%) patients engaged in post-discharge OUD treatment. Simulation of referral to an ACS increased post-discharge OUD treatment engagement to 47.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 45.7%, 48.3%), or 2684 patients (95% CI 2610, 2758). Ten of fifteen (66.7%) CCOs had fewer than 20% of patients engage in post-discharge OUD care. Without ACS, increasing outpatient treatment such that 20% of patients engage increased the patients engaging in post-discharge OUD care from 12.9% or 296 patients in care at baseline to 20% (95% CI 18.1%, 21.4%) or 453 (95% CI 416, 491).

DISCUSSION

ACOs can improve care for patients hospitalized with OUD. Implementing ACS in ACO networks can potentially improve post-discharge OUD treatment engagement, but community treatment systems must be prepared to accept more patients as inpatient addiction care improves.

Prevalence and correlates of incarceration following emergency medical services response to overdose

BACKGROUND

To describe the prevalence of incarceration among survivors of non-fatal overdose addressed through an emergency medical services (EMS) response, and compare incarceration by whether the emergency was for opioid-involved or stimulant-involved overdose.

METHODS

Administrative records on 192,113 EMS incidents and 70,409 jail booking events occurring between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana were record-linked at the event level. Incarceration taking place within 6-hours of an EMS incident was associated with that incident. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) of incarceration after an overdose.

RESULTS

Among all EMS incidents, 2.6% were followed by incarceration. For overdose EMS incidents, the prevalence of incarceration was 10.0%. Overdose incidents had higher odds than non-overdose incidents of leading to a charge of felony, booked on a warrant, and transferred to another law enforcement agency upon release. Prevalence of incarceration following a stimulant-involved overdose was 21.3%, compared to 9.3% for opioid-involved overdose survivors. Compared to persons from other EMS incidents, overdose survivors had greater odds of incarceration (AOR=3.48, 95% confidence interval (CI)= 3.22, 3.75, p < .001), with opioid-involved overdoses (AOR=3.03, 95% CI=2.76, 3.33, p < .001) and stimulant-involved overdoses (AOR=6.70, 95% CI=5.26, 8.55, p < .001) leading to higher odds of incarceration.

CONCLUSION

Incarceration in county jail followed one in ten overdose-involved EMS responses. As illicit drug consumption increasingly involves stimulants, the frequency of incarceration following these events is likely to increase. Policy changes and interventions are needed to reduce incarceration after overdose emergencies.

Prevalence and associates of non-fatal overdose among people who inject drugs in Saveh, Iran

Background

As a public health issue, non-fatal overdose (NFOD) is highly prevalent among people who inject drugs (PWID). This can lead to an elevated risk of future overdose, causing various harms including possible death. It is essential to improve knowledge concerning this problem and its associated risk factors to inform overdose prevention and assistance programs. The primary aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of NFOD and associated risk factors among PWID in Saveh, Iran.

Methods

In the present cross-sectional study, 272 PWID living in Saveh, Iran were interviewed face-to-face using a structured survey. Data concerning socio-demographics, substance use, risky behaviors, and services utilization data were collected. The outcome variable (i.e., NFOD) was assessed by answering “Yes” to the question: “In the past three months, have you ever overdosed (at least once) by accident?”

Results

The prevalence of NFOD among PWID in the past three months was 54%. The characteristics and behaviors that were associated with an increased risk of experiencing NFOD in the past three months were being of older age (AOR = 5.2, p < 0.05), drug use initiation under the age of 22 years (AOR = 7.8, p < 0.05), being an alcohol user (AOR = 3.0, p < 0.05), and being a simultaneous multiple drug user (AOR = 5.8, p < 0.05). Also, more recent initiates to injecting (< 2 years) had an increased risk of experiencing a non-fatal overdose in the past three months. Findings also indicated that those who (i) attended a needle and syringe program (AOR: 0.3, p < 0.05), (ii) were visited by a general practitioner (AOR: 0.03, p < 0.05), and (iii) received a psychosocial intervention (AOR: 0.1, p < 0.05) were 0.3, 0.03 and 0.1 times less likely to report non-fatal overdosing than other participants, respectively.

Conclusions

The results indicate that intervention and prevention initiatives seeking to reduce NFOD among PWID should not only be focused on the primary drug used but also the use of alcohol and polysubstance use. Specific and tailored psychological interventions combined with pharmacotherapy may be highly beneficial for PWID who experience more severe types of substance use, including alcohol use disorders and/or polysubstance abuse.

The impact of opioid agonist treatment on fatal and non-fatal drug overdose among people with a history of opioid dependence in NSW, Australia, 2001-2018: Findings from the OATS retrospective linkage study

BACKGROUND

There are critical periods of mortality risk at onset and cessation of opioid agonist treatment. We aim to determine whether non-fatal overdose followed the same pattern as fatal overdose, comparing the first 4 weeks of treatment and treatment cessation and the remainder time off treatment, with the remainder treatment time, to determine intervention markers.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of people with a history of opioid agonist treatment using linked New South Wales data. The incidence of non-fatal overdose hospitalization; emergency department presentation; and fatal overdose from national death records were compared. Rates were calculated using generalized estimating equations adjusting for demographics, year, and recent health and incarceration events.

RESULTS

The remainder time in OAT had the lowest incidence of overdose for all outcomes and is the reference level for the adjusted incident rate ratios (aIRR). Fatal overdose was lowest in treatment and highest in the first four weeks out of treatment, aIRR of 12.83 (95% CI 10.0-16.4). Whereas the highest overdose rate for non-fatal opioid overdose was in the first four weeks in treatment, aIRR of 3.11 (95% CI 2.19-4.42).

CONCLUSIONS

Retention on opioid agonist treatment is protective against drug related overdose. There is elevated risk of non-fatal overdose at treatment initiation that is not evident for fatal overdose, but the first month of treatment cessation is a critical period for both non-fatal and fatal overdose. These findings emphasize the importance of treatment retention and interventions for polysubstance overdose at cessation.

Modeling the population-level impact of opioid agonist treatment on mortality among people accessing treatment between 2001 and 2020 in New South Wales, Australia

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The individual-level effectiveness of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) in reducing mortality is well established, but there is less evidence on population-level benefits. We use modeling informed with linked data from the OAT program in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, to estimate the impact of OAT provision in the community and prisons on mortality and the impact of eliminating excess mortality during OAT initiation/discontinuation.

DESIGN

Dynamic modeling.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A cohort of 49 359 individuals who ever received OAT in NSW from 2001 to 2018.

MEASUREMENTS

Receipt of OAT was represented through five stages: (i) first month on OAT, (ii) short (1-9 months) and (iii) longer (9+ months) duration on OAT, (iv) first month following OAT discontinuation and (v) rest of time following OAT discontinuation. Incarceration was represented as four strata: (i) never or not incarcerated in the past year, (ii) currently incarcerated, (iii) released from prison within the past month and (iv) released from prison 1-12 months ago. The model incorporated elevated mortality post-release from prison and OAT impact on reducing mortality and incarceration.

FINDINGS

Among the cohort, mortality was 0.9 per 100 person-years, OAT coverage and retention remained high (> 50%, 1.74 years/episode). During 2001-20, we estimate that OAT provision reduced overdose and other cause mortality among the cohort by 52.8% [95% credible interval (CrI) = 49.4-56.9%] and 26.6% (95% CrI =22.1-30.5%), respectively. We estimate 1.2 deaths averted and 9.7 life-years gained per 100 person-years on OAT. Prison OAT with post-release OAT-linkage accounted for 12.4% (95% CrI = 11.5-13.5%) of all deaths averted by the OAT program, primarily through preventing deaths in the first month post-release. Preventing elevated mortality during OAT initiation and discontinuation could have averted up to 1.4% (95% CrI =  0.8-2.0%) and 3.0% (95% CrI = 2.1-5.3%) of deaths, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The community and prison opioid agonist treatment program in New South Wales, Australia appears to have substantially reduced population-level overdose and all-cause mortality in the past 20 years, partially due to high retention.

A cross-sectional study of factors associated with COVID-19 testing among people who inject drugs: missed opportunities for reaching those most at risk

BACKGROUND

People who inject drugs (PWID) are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We examined correlates of COVID-19 testing among PWID in the U.S.-Mexico border region and described encounters with services representing potential opportunities (i.e., 'touchpoints') where COVID-19 testing could have been offered.

METHODS

Between October, 2020 and September, 2021, participants aged ≥18 years from San Diego, California, USA and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico who injected drugs within the last month completed surveys and SARS-CoV-2, HIV, and HCV serologic testing. Logistic regression identified factors associated with COVID-19 testing including potential touchpoints, comorbidities and COVID-19 related misinformation and disinformation.

RESULTS

Of 583 PWID, 30.5% previously had a COVID-19 test. Of 172 PWID who tested SARS-CoV-2 seropositive (30.1%), 50.3% encountered at least one touchpoint where COVID-19 testing could have been offered within the prior six months. Factors independently associated with at least two fold higher odds of COVID-19 testing were living in San Diego, recent incarceration, receiving substance use treatment, and experiencing ≥1 chronic health condition. Homelessness, having received ≥1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and having a HIV or HCV test since the COVID-19 epidemic began were also independently associated with having had a prior COVID-19 test.

CONCLUSION

We identified several factors independently associated with COVID-19 testing and multiple touchpoints where COVID-19 testing could be scaled up for PWID, such as SUD treatment programs and syringe service programs. Integrated health services are needed to improve access to rapid, free COVID-19 testing in this vulnerable population.

What is the prevalence of and trend in opioid use disorder in the United States from 2010 to 2019? Using multiplier approaches to estimate prevalence for an unknown population size

Opioid-related overdose deaths have increased since 2010 in the U.S., but information on trends in opioid use disorder (OUD) prevalence is limited due to unreliable data. Multiplier methods are a classical epidemiological technique to estimate prevalence when direct estimation is infeasible or unreliable. We used two different multiplier approaches to estimate OUD prevalence from 2010 to 2019. First, we estimated OUD in National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), and based on existing capture-recapture studies, multiplied prevalence by 4.5x. Second, we estimated the probability of drug poisoning death among people with OUD (Meta-analysis indicates 0.52/100,000), and divided the number of drug poisoning deaths in the US by this probability. Estimates were weighted to account for increase in drug-related mortality in recent years due to fentanyl. Estimated OUD prevalence was lowest when estimated in NSDUH with no multiplier, and highest when estimated from vital statistics data without adjustment. Consistent findings emerged with two methods: NSDUH data with multiplier correction, and vital statistics data with multiplier and adjustment. From these two methods, OUD prevalence increased from 2010 to 2014; then stabilized and slightly declined annually (survey data with multiplier, highest prevalence of 4.0% in 2015; death data with a multiplier and correction, highest prevalence of 2.35% in 2016). The number of US adolescent and adult individuals with OUD in 2019 was estimated between 6.7-7.6 million. When multipliers and corrections are used, OUD may have stabilized or slightly declined after 2015. Nevertheless, it remains highly prevalent, affecting 6-7 million US adolescents and adults.