Overcoming Barriers: Individual Experiences Obtaining Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Area of Science:

• Addiction Medicine
• Rural Health Disparities
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) is significantly underutilized in rural compared to urban areas.
• This disparity highlights a critical gap in healthcare access for rural populations with OUD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the lived experiences of individuals with OUD seeking MAT in rural New Mexico.
• To identify specific barriers and facilitators influencing MAT access and success in rural settings.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study employing guided interviews with 20 participants.
• Analysis guided by critical social theory, intersectionality theory, and the brain opioid theory of social attachment.
• Thematic content analysis to identify key themes.

Main Results:

• Five major themes emerged, detailing novel barriers and facilitators to MAT.
• Key findings include perceived gender disparities in MAT access, difficulties in establishing recovery support systems, and the significance of developing a new social identity during recovery.
• These factors uniquely impact rural individuals with OUD.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the nuanced experiences of rural individuals with OUD is essential for addressing the rural-urban MAT disparity.
• Findings can inform the development of targeted interventions and policies to enhance MAT accessibility and recovery outcomes in rural communities.
• Addressing these specific challenges can improve recovery capacity and promote transformative policy changes.