Admitted to treatment without diagnosis: The status of known diagnoses in US addictions treatment centres

Caring for patients with substance use disorders: a qualitative investigation of difficulties encountered by hospital-based clinicians

Background: Caring for patients with substance use disorders (SUD) is held in low regard and many clinicians resist treating them. To address this situation, numerous research projects assessed training program gaps and professional attitudes. In contrast, this study explored the actual clinical difficulties that a variety of hospital-based professionals encounter when treating patients with SUD. Methods: Qualitative multiple method design including: (1) individual semi-structured interviews with SUD experts and educators; (2) video-elicited, cross self-confrontation interviews with clinicians working in a specialist addiction unit; (3) paired semi-structured interviews with clinicians working in non-specialist units. Participants were recruited within one university hospital. Data collected at stages (1) and (3) relied on an interview guide and were analyzed using conventional content analyses. Data collected at stage (2) consisted of discussions of video recorded clinical interviews and were analyzed based on a participatory approach. Results: Twenty-three clinicians from seven hospital units participated. Forty-four difficulties were reported that we classified into six categories: knowledge-based; moral; technical; relational; identity-related; institutional. We identified seven cross-category themes as key features of SUD clinical complexity: exacerbation of patient characteristics; multiplication of medical issues; hybridity and specificity of medical discipline; experiences of stalemate, adversity, and role reversal. Conclusions: Our study, providing a comprehensive analysis of the difficulties of caring for patients with SUD, reveals a highly challenging clinical practice for a diversity of healthcare providers. They represent a complementary approach to addressing resistance as an important feature of a complex clinical system, and valuable material to discussing professional preparedness.

Comparison of Recovery Capital in Patients with Alcohol and Opioid Dependence - An Exploratory Study

Background

Recovery capital helps in the assessment of the personal strengths and challenges that exist in an individual with substance use which may have an impact on recovery process. This study aims at finding out the factors which help such individuals to sustain their recovery and how these factors differ across the two groups of people suffering from Alcohol Dependence Syndrome and Opioid Dependence Syndrome.

Methods

A cross-sectional observational was designed where sociodemographic and clinical variables, the recovery capital ARC (Assessment of Recovery Capital) Scale and Severity of substance use SDS (Severity of Dependence) Scale of patients diagnosed with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS group) and those with Opioid Dependence Syndrome (ODS group) were assessed among patients not reporting withdrawal symptoms.

Findings

A total of 49 subjects in the ODS group and 30 subjects in the ADS group were enrolled. The majority of the subjects in both groups were married, belonged to urban areas, practiced Hinduism, and were living in nuclear families. There was a significant difference between the educational status (p<0.001), religion practiced (p<0.001), age of onset of dependence (p<0.001), severity of dependence (p=0.11), and duration of abstinence (p<0.001) between the ADS and ODS groups. The mean scores on ARC Scale were 45.9 (S.D. =3.5) in the ODS group and 47.4 (S.D. =4.3) in the ADS group. ADS group had higher scores in Social Support Domain (p=0.034) and Housing and Safety domain (p=0.025). Other domains like global health, citizenship, meaningful activities, risk-taking, coping, and recovery experience did not significantly differ between the groups.

Conclusion

This study aims at comparing the recovery capital of ADS patients with ODS patients. It also suggests that tailored treatment plans for people with ADS and ODS especially in housing and social support and common treatment approach in other domains of recovery will help them sustain the state for a longer term.

Individual and Health Policy Factors Associated With Positive Heroin and Opioid Treatment Response: United States, 2018

Objectives. To identify client- and state-level factors associated with positive treatment response among heroin and opioid treatment episodes in the United States. Methods. We used national data from 46 states using the Treatment Episode Dataset‒Discharges (2018) to identify heroin and opioid treatment episodes (n = 162 846). We defined positive treatment response as a decrease in use between admission and discharge. We used multivariable regression, stratified by race/ethnicity, to identify demographic, pain-related, and state-level factors associated with positive treatment response. Results. Lower community distress was the strongest predictor of better treatment outcomes across all racial/ethnic groups, particularly among White and American Indian/Alaska Native episodes. A primary opioid of heroin was associated with worse outcomes among White and Hispanic episodes. Legislation limiting opioid dispensing was associated with better outcomes among Hispanic episodes. Buprenorphine availability was strongly associated with better outcomes among Black episodes. Conclusions. State-level variables, particularly community distress, had greater associations with positive treatment outcomes than client-level variables. Public Health Implications. Changes in state-level policies and increased resources directed toward areas of high community distress have the potential to improve opioid use disorder treatment and reduce racial/ethnic disparities in treatment outcomes. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(S1):S66-S76. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306503).

Homeless Opioid Treatment Clients Transitioning to Dependent and Independent Housing: Differential Outcomes by Race/Ethnicity

Purpose: Homeless opioid treatment clients who transition into housing generally demonstrate better outcomes, but housing environments vary widely and may not benefit racial/ethnic minority populations equally. We sought to identify how race/ethnicity moderates the association between positive opioid treatment response and moving into dependent or independent living environments. Methods: We used the Treatment Episode Dataset-Discharges (2018-2019) to identify outpatient treatment clients who were homeless at admission and indicated heroin or other opioids as their primary drug of choice (n = 20,021). We defined positive treatment response as a reduction in opioid use between admission and discharge. We used multivariable logistic regression to model treatment response. We included an interaction between housing at discharge (remained homeless [reference], dependent living, or independent living) and race/ethnicity, and adjusted for relevant confounders. Results: Transitioning from homeless to dependent living was positively associated with treatment response among White (aOR = 3.57, 95% CI = 3.15-4.06), Hispanic (aOR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.55-2.86), and Black clients (aOR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.41-2.27), but no association was observed for homeless American Indian/Alaska Native clients. Transitioning from homeless to independent living was strongly associated with treatment response among all groups with the strongest association observed among White clients (aOR = 4.70, 95% CI = 4.26-5.19). Conclusions: Interventions aimed at improving OUD treatment outcomes among homeless clients should identify individual and structural factors that support moving into fully housed and independent living environments. Dependent living offers needed support during crises, but should be temporary and priority should be placed on independent, permanent, and autonomous living environments.

State population indices predict Asian American and Pacific Islander successful substance use treatment completion: An exploratory observational study

Cultural capital is a known factor supporting success in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. We investigated Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) State population metrics in relation to SUD treatment completion for US clients from 2006-2017 (N = 5,404,374). Metrics that may signify greater available cultural capital were State AAPI Percentage, State AAPI Percent Change, and State AAPI Population. AAPI Percentage, AAPI Percent Change were positively associated, while AAPI Population was negatively associated with treatment completion (p < 0.001). Findings suggest treatment agencies in areas with low AAPI densities may improve outcomes by supporting AAPI community and cultural social networks.