February 03, 2017
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Telepsychiatry, in-person MAT comparable for opioid addiction

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Medication-assisted buprenorphine treatment delivered in-person or through telepsychiatry had similar outcomes for additional substance use, abstinence and retention in individuals with opioid use disorder.

“Telepsychiatry may present a promising way to deliver [medication-assisted treatment] to this population and expand access to care. Using new audio-video technology to remove the barriers of time and distance for individuals who are most in need of medical and health care services is not a new idea, yet it has become increasingly popular in recent years,” Wanhong Zheng, MD, of West Virginia University, Morgantown, and colleagues wrote. “In the realm of psychiatry, diagnoses and treatment decisions are frequently based on record review, patient interview, and observation, enabling telepsychiatry to quickly evolve as an alternative to office visits for patients who do not have easy access to mental health services.”

Wanhong Zheng, MD
Wanhong Zheng

To assess differences between in-person and telepsychiatry buprenorphine medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder, researchers retrospectively reviewed clinic records for 100 individuals who received telepsychiatry or in-person outpatient buprenorphine MAT.

Additional substance use, time to 30 days (P = .09) and 90 days abstinence (P = .22), and retention rates at 90 and 365 days (P = .99) did not significantly differ between participants who received in-person MAT or telepsychiatry MAT.

“Increasing health care access and addressing health care disparities remains a top priority in this evolving age of medical practice, policy, and reform. Without question, the opioid epidemic demands priority and attention in terms of expanding research, practical solutions, increasing access, and improving treatment quality,” the researchers wrote. “Retrospective analysis yielded no statistically significant differences in outcome measures between intervention modalities of telepsychiatry and face-to-face in terms of additional substance use, average time to reach 30 and 90 consecutive days of abstinence, and patient retention rates at 90 and 365 days into treatment.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.