Assessment of primary care team-based learning sessions for opioid use disorder

Often patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) do not receive needed treatment; in part, this is due to the lack of available clinicians who treat OUD. To address the workforce gap, this study assessed OUD-related training for physicians and healthcare team members using the Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes® (Project ECHO) model in a primary care, team-based setting.

Twelve 1-h virtual Project ECHO sessions were held from April 2023 through March 2024. Twenty practices and 130 participants participated. Baseline and endpoint surveys, and brief post-session surveys were collected. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, and Likert scales were used for survey questions. Analyses were performed at the group and individual level, and by role over time, using Mann-Whitney U tests, Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests, and Quade's ANCOVA, respectively. Sensitivity analyses were also completed.

Participants self-reported confidence and knowledge significantly increased at the individual, group, and role level. The greatest increases were seen on the topics of treating patients with fentanyl or co-occurring hepatitis C, office-based treatments, and behavioral health/counseling.

Primary care team-based educational models have the potential to increase confidence and knowledge among participants, which may contribute to bridging care gaps for patients with OUD.

To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to use Project ECHO across clinical teams. This study demonstrates that accessible team-based learning can strengthen self-reported confidence and knowledge and potentially contribute to increased role recognition, and strengthen the approach to opioid use disorder patient care.