Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39389546›Full record

ArticleJournal of substance use and addiction treatment2025

Factors affecting problem-solving court team decisions about medications for opioid use disorder.

Barbara Andraka-Christou, Jill Viglione, Fatema Ahmed, Brandon Del Pozo, Danielle N Atkins, M H Clark, Rachel Totaram, Ekaterina Pivovarova

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of substance use and addiction treatment, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Barbara Andraka-ChristouSchool of Global Health Management & Informatics, University of Central Florida, 525 W Livingston Street, Suite 401, Orlando, FL 32801, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Central Florida, 6850 Lake Nona Blvd., Orlando, FL 32827, USA. Electronic address: Barbara.andraka@ucf.edu.
Jill ViglioneDepartment of Criminal Justice, University of Central Florida, 6850 Lake Nona Blvd., Orlando, FL 32827, USA. Electronic address: jill.viglione@ucf.edu.
Fatema AhmedSchool of Global Health Management & Informatics, University of Central Florida, 525 W Livingston Street, Suite 401, Orlando, FL 32801, USA.
Brandon Del PozoThe Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RIH/DGIM, 111 Plain Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA. Electronic address: bdelpozo@lifespan.org.
Danielle N AtkinsAskew School of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University, 113 Collegiate Loop, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2250, USA. Electronic address: datkins2@fsu.edu.
M H ClarkDepartment of Learning Science and Educational Research, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816, USA. Electronic address: M.H.Clark@ucf.edu.
Rachel TotaramSchool of Global Health Management & Informatics, University of Central Florida, 525 W Livingston Street, Suite 401, Orlando, FL 32801, USA.
Ekaterina PivovarovaDepartment of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, USA. Electronic address: ekaterina.pivovarova@umassmed.edu.

Funding

Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (U Component)UL1TR001863 · NCATS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI John H. Krystal, LUCILA OHNO-MACHADO · 2016 to 2026
$102.9M
Technical Assistance CoreU2CDA050097 · NIDA · GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY · PI Todd David Molfenter, Jessica Hulsey Nickel · 2019 to 2026
$37.0M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001863NIDA NIH HHS U2C DA050097
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundProblem-solving courts (PSCs) provide alternatives to prosecution and incarceration for drug-related crimes and offer integrated support for people who have lost custody of children due to drug use. Methadone and buprenorphine are lifesaving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) but are underused by PSC clients. Even when PSCs lack a court-level prohibition against MOUD, court staff still make individualized decisions about whether a court client can use MOUD. Therefore, we sought to identify factors involved in such individualized PSC court decisions about clients' use of MOUD.

methodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups between Summer and Fall 2022 with a convenience sample of 54 PSC staff members from 33 courts across four states. Data were analyzed using iterative categorization.

resultsInterviewees indicated that their courts had eliminated blanket prohibitions against MOUD due to federal and state policy funding requirements, widespread dissemination of voluntary best practice standards, fear of lawsuits, and MOUD education targeting courts. Courts allowed MOUD if the court client accessed it through a treatment provider with whom the court collaborates. Some courts only allowed court clients to access MOUD from non-partnering treatment providers after a court-led "vetting" process of the proposed MOUD provider. MOUD provider characteristics considered during the vetting process included the provider's willingness to communicate with the court, frequent drug testing, adjustments of medication or dosage in response to aberrant results, offering of counseling, and acceptance of Medicaid or sliding scale payments. PSC staff were least comfortable with court clients using methadone treatment.

conclusionsThe presence (or lack of) a PSC-MOUD partnership is a key factor involved in court staff decisions when a court client desires MOUD. Therefore, increasing the number of partnerships between PSCs and MOUD providers could lead to higher rates of MOUD utilization. It is unclear whether court-led vetting processes for non-partnering MOUD treatment providers are necessary or appropriate, and such vetting processes could reduce treatment choice or access in communities with few MOUD providers.

Indexed as

BuprenorphineOpiate Substitution TreatmentOpioid-Related DisordersAdultAnalgesics, OpioidDecision MakingFemaleFocus GroupsHumansMaleMethadoneProblem SolvingUnited StatesAnalgesics, OpioidBuprenorphineMethadoneBuprenorphineDecisionsDrug courtMedications for opioid use disorderMethadonePoliciesProblem-solving courtQualitative

Identifiers

PMID39389546
PMCPMC12910723

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.