Substance Use Disorder Treatment via Telemedicine During Coronavirus Disease 2019

Telemedicine has been effective at bridging the gap among patients, providers, and health systems. Authors from a large academic medical center in Baltimore, MD, anecdotally found that digital tools were beneficial in supporting substance use disorder recovery during a global pandemic. Audiovisual tools like Zoom (Zoom Video Communications, Inc, San Jose, CA) and Doximity (Doximity, Inc, San Francisco, CA), as well as increased frequency of communication with patients, have been most helpful to supporting recovery. The barriers noted were related to patient privacy and increased tendency of patients to avoid treatment, similar barriers as when treatment is provided in the clinic. The intent of this narrative is to discuss provider perspectives of benefits and barriers to telemedicine for substance use disorder treatment during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.