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Multicenter Study
. 2019 Dec 1;70(12):1157-1160.
doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201900142. Epub 2019 Aug 22.

Engagement With Project ECHO to Increase Medication-Assisted Treatment in Rural Primary Care

Julie Salvador  1 , Snehal Bhatt  1 , Rebecca Fowler  1 , Jerrilyn Ritz  1 , Regina James  1 , Vanessa Jacobsohn  1 , Heidi Rishel Brakey  1 , Andrew L Sussman  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Engagement With Project ECHO to Increase Medication-Assisted Treatment in Rural Primary Care

Julie Salvador et al. Psychiatr Serv. .

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the barriers and facilitators that affect engagement with Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) to implement medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in primary care settings.

Methods: A 12-session weekly curriculum was delivered to participating primary care providers and clinic staff (N=24 participants from 13 clinics). Participants completed attendance logs and a qualitative interview in order to identify factors that influence engagement in the ECHO sessions and the potential integration of MAT.

Results: Primary care providers and staff valued the ECHO sessions, but overall attendance was low and variable. Participants generally valued the didactic and interactive nature of the sessions but identified system-level constraints that limited engagement. Major barriers to participation included competing demands in patient care and the low degree of endorsement by clinic leadership.

Conclusions: This brief report identifies key systematic challenges that may directly limit primary care providers' engagement in telementoring models such as Project ECHO.

Keywords: Alcohol and drug abuse; Clinical and translational research; Primary care; Recruitment; Substance use.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.. Participation in 12-week Project ECHO telementoring course, by participant typea
a ECHO, Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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