New Publication on Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorder After an Overdose in VA

 

The CRHC and the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion are proud to announce a new publication: "Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Medical Treatment of Opioid Use Disorders Within the VA Healthcare System Following Non-Fatal Opioid Overdose" by CRHC authors Drs. Utibe EssienJane M. LiebschutzChester B. GoodThomas R. RadomskiLeslie R. M. HausmannMichael J. Fine, and Walid Gellad.

The study assess the association of race/ethnicity with the prescribing of opioids and medication to treat opioid use disorder after a non-fatal opioid overdose. Based on a national cohort of 16,210 patients with a non-fatal opioid overdose in the Veterans Health Administration, the study found no racial or ethnic differences in changes in opioid prescribing after the overdose. Prescribing of medications for opioid use disorder for patients following an overdose was low, with less than 4% received medication to treat opioid use disorder in the 30 days after the overdose, with statistically higher rates in black and Hispanic patients.

Lead author Dr. Utibe Essien described the study findings in a Twitter thread:

This thread is available on Twitter or through the Thread Reader App.

The study was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine on January 21, 2020. Other co-authors included Floretina E. Sileanu, Xinhua Zhao, Carolyn T. Thorpe, and Maria K. Mor.


February 7, 2020 • Michelle Woods