National Institute on Drug Abuse: Study Finds Telehealth Associated with Increased Likelihood of Receiving Evidence-Based Standard of Care

National Institute on Drug Abuse: Study Finds Telehealth Associated with Increased Likelihood of Receiving Evidence-Based Standard of Care

Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that telehealth was associated with increased likelihood of receiving evidence-based standard of care. The study found:

In 2021, an estimated 2.5 million people aged 18 and older had opioid use disorder in the past year, yet only 36 percent of them received any substance use treatment, and only 22 percent received medications for opioid use disorder.
Those receiving substance use treatment via telehealth were approximately 38 times more likely to receive medications for opioid use disorder compared to those who did not receive treatment via telehealth, (including those who received any substance use treatment without telehealth as well as those who did not receive any substance use treatment).
Adults with severe opioid use disorder were 5 times more likely to receive medications for opioid use disorder compared to those with mild opioid use disorder.

Read the study on JAMA Network Open.