Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct 1:215:108253.
doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108253. Epub 2020 Aug 27.

Successful engagement in buprenorphine treatment among hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder and trauma

Elenore P Bhatraju  1 , Natasha Ludwig-Barron  2 , Julian Takagi-Stewart  3 , Harveen K Sandhu  4 , Jared W Klein  5 , Judith I Tsui  5
Affiliations

Successful engagement in buprenorphine treatment among hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder and trauma

Elenore P Bhatraju et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. .

Abstract

Background: The opioid epidemic continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Although there are effective medications for opioid use disorder (OUD), a minority of patients receive these treatments. OUD is common among patients hospitalized for traumatic injury and hospitalization could be an opportunity to initiate medications and link to ongoing buprenorphine care.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study based on electronic health record review included patients who were: (1) hospitalized between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019, (2) age ≥18 years, (3) seen by an Addiction Medicine Consult Service, and (4) initiated on buprenorphine with plans for continuation post-discharge. Descriptive statistics identified differences between trauma and non-trauma groups and regression analysis identified predictors of 30 day buprenorphine follow up.

Results: Of 197 eligible patients, 60 (30.5 %) were hospitalized for traumatic injuries. Compared to non-trauma patients, trauma patients were younger, more likely to be employed, more likely to report using cannabis and tobacco, less likely to have recently injected drugs, and hospitalized longer. Among patients with follow-up data available (n = 147), 63.2 % of trauma patients were seen within 30 days, compared to 48.2 % of non-trauma patients (p = 0.16). There were no significant differences between the two groups with regards to urine drug test results or acute care utilization in the follow-up period.

Conclusions: Among hospitalized patients with OUD who initiate buprenorphine, those who were hospitalized for trauma were at least as likely to link to out-patient treatment. Trauma admissions represent an important opportunity for diagnosing and linking patients with OUD to buprenorphine treatment.

Keywords: Buprenorphine; Opioid use disorder; Trauma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

None of the authors have any conflict to declare

References

    1. Alford DP, Compton P, Samet JH. Acute Pain Management for Patients Receiving Maintenance Methadone or Buprenorphine Therapy. Ann Intern Med. 2006;144(2):127. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-144-2-200601170-00010 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Archer KR, Castillo RC, Wegener ST, Abraham CM, Obremskey WT. Pain and Satisfaction in Hospitalized Trauma Patients: The Importance of Self-efficacy and Psychological Distress. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2012;72(4): 1068–1077. doi:10.1097/TA.0b013e3182452df5 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bart G Maintenance Medication for Opiate Addiction: The Foundation of Recovery. J Addict Dls. 2012;31(3):207–225. doi:10.1080/10550887.2012.694598 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Committee on Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder, Board on Health Sciences Policy, Health and Medicine Division, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Save Lives. (Leshner Al, Mancher M, eds.). National Academies Press; 2019. doi: 10.17226/25310 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Committee on Trauma, American College of Surgeons “Resources For Optimal Care of the Injured Patient” 2014.

Publication types