Increasing Primary Care Utilization of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Addiction Medicine
• Primary Care Practice

Background:

• Increasing prevalence of opioid use disorders (OUDs) necessitates primary care providers (PCPs) trained in addiction treatment.
• Physicians often lack adequate training to manage patients with addiction, leading to underpreparedness.
• A specialized Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) training program was developed for PCPs to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a supplemental MAT training program for PCPs.
• To assess changes in PCPs' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding MAT implementation.
• To increase PCP likelihood of implementing MAT by addressing reported barriers.

Main Methods:

• A 4-hour buprenorphine office-based implementation training was designed to supplement existing SAMHSA DATA 2000 waiver training.
• A new pre- and post-survey instrument was developed and validated to assess changes in participants.
• Data were analyzed using REDCap to determine pre-post differences in confidence, competence, and willingness.

Main Results:

• 183 participants completed pre-post evaluations, showing substantial improvements.
• PCPs reported significantly higher confidence in implementing MAT care processes and interacting with MAT patients.
• Participants demonstrated increased comfort, competence, and willingness to identify and treat patients with OUD using MAT.

Conclusions:

• The supplemental MAT training program significantly enhances PCP confidence and willingness to implement addiction treatment.
• This training addresses a critical need for improved primary care management of opioid use disorders.
• Further research is warranted to replicate findings and inform policy recommendations for MAT expansion.