ArticleEuropean addiction research2021
A Retrospective Cohort Study Comparing In-Person and Telemedicine-Based Opioid Agonist Treatment in Ontario, Canada, Using Administrative Health Data.
Article in European addiction research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Evaluating the shift in psychiatric care: Associations between remote consultation use and clinical outcomes in a large longitudinal cohort.NPJ digital medicine · 2026Article
- Care coordination between rural primary care and telemedicine to expand medication treatment for opioid use disorder: Results from a single-arm, multisite feasibility study.The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association · 2023Article
- Review
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rate of primary care visits for substance use among patients in Ontario, Canada.PloS one · 2023Article
- Virtual opioid agonist treatment: Alberta's virtual opioid dependency program and outcomes.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2022Article
- Assessing the impact of social distancing measures implemented during COVID-19 pandemic on medications for opioid use disorder in West Virginia.Journal of substance abuse treatment · 2022Article
- Measuring treatment attrition at various stages of engagement in Opioid Agonist Treatment in Ontario Canada using a cascade of care framework.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Digital Interventions to Save Lives From the Opioid Crisis Prior and During the SARS COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review of Australian and Canadian Experiences.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study evaluated how telemedicine as a modality for opioid agonist treatment compares to in-person care.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients enrolled in opioid agonist treatment between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2015, in Ontario, Canada. We compared patients who received opioid agonist treatment predominantly in person, mixed, and predominantly by telemedicine. We used a logistic regression model to evaluate mortality, a Cox proportional hazard model to assess retention, and a negative binomial regression model to evaluate emergency department visits and hospitalizations. The study was performed using administrative health data with physician billing data from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan and prescription data from the Ontario Drug Benefit databases.
resultsA total of 55,924 individuals were included in the study. Receiving opioid agonist treatment by predominantly telemedicine was not associated with all-cause mortality (OR = 0.9, 95% CI: 0.8-1.0), 1-year treatment retention (OR = 1.0, 95% CI: 0.9-1.1), or opioid-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations when compared to in-person care. The rate of emergency department visits (IRR = 1.4), the rate of mental health-related emergency department visits (IRR = 1.5), and the rate of mental health-related hospitalizations per year (IRR = 1.2) was higher for patients who received opioid agonist treatment predominantly by telemedicine compared to in person.
conclusionOur findings support the conclusion that telemedicine is equal to in-person care regarding mortality opioid-related emergency department visits and retention, and is a viable option for those seeking opioid agonist treatment.
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