Experiences Using a Multidisciplinary Model for Treating Injection Drug Use Associated Infections: A Qualitative...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Rising rates of injection drug use, associated infections, and overdose deaths in the US.
• Initiation of a hospital-based program in 2020 to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) in patients with invasive infections.
• Program goals included improving care outcomes, patient experience, and transition to long-term addiction treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the hospital program on patient care experiences.
• To identify areas for program improvement from the patient's perspective.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews with 30 patients admitted with infectious complications of injection drug use.
• Patients were divided into two cohorts: those admitted before (n=14) and after (n=16) program implementation.
• Interviews were transcribed, coded for emergent themes, with limited chart review for descriptive statistics.

Main Results:

• Common hospitalization themes included inadequate pain control, access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), loss of freedom, and stigma.
• Program participants reported significantly better pain control and access to MOUD.
• Many participants highlighted the benefits of receiving care from an interprofessional team.

Conclusions:

• Hospital care for patients with opioid use disorder and injection-related infections improved with an interprofessional team approach.
• Perceived stigma from healthcare personnel and loss of freedom remained persistent barriers to care.
• The program demonstrated positive impacts on patient experience and access to essential treatments.