The intertwined expansion of telehealth and buprenorphine access from a prescriber hub.
other · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33974959.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106603.
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Abstract
In this manuscript, we describe how efforts to increase access to buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) through a telemedicine hub before and since the COVID-19 pandemic have played out in the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA) in New England. We look at how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent spike in opioid overdoses tilted the risk: benefit calculation for tele-prescribing a controlled substance such as buprenorphine toward expanding access to tele-buprenorphine. We conclude that there is a need for tele-buprenorphine hubs that can fill gaps in geographically dispersed healthcare systems.
Medical subject headings
- Buprenorphine
- COVID-19
- Opioid-Related Disorders
- Telemedicine