Satisfaction with Telehealth Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Among Individuals Living in Rural and Nonrural Areas

Background: Telehealth has grown as a common treatment modality for substance use disorders following expanded telehealth flexibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth can increase access to treatment in rural areas, where there are limited local addiction providers. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adults in telehealth treatment for opioid use disorder and compared satisfaction with care and provider-patient relationship quality between participants in rural and nonrural areas. Results: Respondents scored a mean of 4.51 ± 0.694 on the Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire (range: 1-5) and 27.12 ± 5.633 on the Provider-Patient Depth of Relationship Questionnaire (range: 0-32), indicating high overall satisfaction and a deep provider-patient relationship. There were no significant differences based on rural residence. Conclusions: Based on high patient satisfaction, our findings support the future expansion of telemedicine treatment platforms across rural and nonrural areas to address the substantial unmet need for substance use treatment across the United States.