ArticleJournal of substance abuse treatment2022
A comparison of office-based buprenorphine treatment outcomes in Bronx community clinics before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in Journal of substance abuse treatment, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of relaxing restrictions on take-home doses during the COVID-19 pandemic on program effectiveness and client experiences in opioid agonist treatment: a mixed methods systematic review.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2023Pooled it
- Association of Continuous Medicaid Eligibility With Postpartum Coverage and Opioid Use Disorder Treatment.American journal of preventive medicine · 2026Article
- Narrative Review of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Impact on American Indian/Alaska Native Communities.Nursing open · 2026Review
- The Importance of Treatment Modality in Veterans with Opioid Use Disorder: Implications for Virtual Care.Community mental health journal · 2025Article
- Telemedicine-delivered treatment for substance use disorder: A scoping review.Journal of telemedicine and telecare · 2025Article
- A Randomized Trial Evaluating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Smart Phone Care Management Application to Augment Buprenorphine Therapy for Opioid Use and Chronic Pain.Substance use & addiction journal · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of telehealth versus in-person care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Review
- Telehealth Policy, Practice, and Education: a Position Statement of the Society of General Internal Medicine.Journal of general internal medicine · 2023Article
- Low barrier medication for opioid use disorder at a federally qualified health center: a retrospective cohort study.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2022Article
- Use of and Retention on Video, Telephone, and In-Person Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic.JAMA network open · 2022Article
- Response to McIlveen et al.: Collaboration and transparency are necessary to effectively estimate substance use disorder treatment need.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionIn 2020, the US and New York City experienced unprecedented deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic and drug overdoses. Policy changes reduced burdensome regulations for medication treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Despite these policy changes, few studies examined buprenorphine treatment outcomes during the pandemic. We compared treatment outcomes among Bronx patients referred to office-based buprenorphine treatment before versus during the pandemic.
methodsIn a retrospective cohort study, we compared patients referred to buprenorphine treatment in a Bronx community clinic before (March-August 2019) versus during (March-August 2020) the pandemic. We describe changes to buprenorphine treatment during the pandemic, including telehealth and prioritizing harm reduction. Using data from medical records and program logs, main outcomes included steps of the OUD treatment cascade of care-initial visit scheduled and completed, treatment initiated, and retained in treatment at 90 days. Using chi square and t-tests, we examined differences in patient characteristics and OUD treatment cascade steps before versus during the pandemic.
resultsBefore and during the pandemic, 72 and 35 patients were referred to buprenorphine treatment, respectively. Patients' mean age was 46 years, most were male (67.3%) or Hispanic (52.3%), and few had private insurance (19.6%). Patients referred during (vs. before) the pandemic were more likely to have private insurance (31.4% vs. 13.9%, p < 0.05) and be referred from acute care settings (37.1% vs. 19.4%, p < 0.05). No significant differences in OUD cascade of care outcomes existed between those referred during versus before the pandemic. However, among patients who initiated buprenorphine treatment, those referred during (vs. before) the pandemic were more likely to be retained in treatment at 90 days (68.0% vs. 42.9%, p < 0.05).
conclusionsDespite the COVID-19 pandemic's unprecedented devastation to the Bronx, along with worsening drug overdose deaths, OUD cascade of care outcomes were similar among patients referred to buprenorphine treatment before versus during the pandemic. Among patients who initiated buprenorphine treatment, treatment retention was better during (versus before) the pandemic. During a public health emergency, incorporating telehealth and prioritizing harm reduction are key strategies to maintain optimal OUD treatment outcomes.
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