ArticleJournal of general internal medicine2026
Implementation Outcomes of Low Threshold Care for Persons with Opioid Use Disorders.
Article in Journal of general internal medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Integrating harm reduction interventions for older adults in opioid treatment programs: a qualitative study of patient and provider perspectives.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Substance use and treatment utilization patterns of working-age American men who were not in employment, education, or training (NEET) during the COVID-19 pandemic.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLow-threshold care (LTC) practices for prescribing medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) systematically remove treatment barriers, increasing access to lifesaving MOUD. Despite its promise, LTC operationalization is unclear and heterogeneous, and lacks standardized measures.
objectiveTo develop and test LTC composite measures as useful predictors of implementation outcomes.
designThis prospective cohort study was embedded within a California state MOUD practice change collaborative involving safety-net primary care clinics.
participantsData were collected at baseline, midpoint, and endpoint from 20 clinics.
interventionClinics received a multifaceted implementation-support package designed to improve MOUD delivery. MAIN MEASURES: Four LTC scales (LTC12, LTC5, LTC3, LTC2) were developed and tested using team-reported one to five Likert items. Implementation outcomes included Reach (monthly new MOUD patients), Retention (monthly new MOUD patients engaged in treatment after initial diagnosis), and Adoption (active MOUD prescribers). Analyses included repeated-measures ANOVA for LTC change and Poisson GEE for incidence rate ratios, adjusting for panel size, medically underserved area designation, and time. KEY
resultsClinics showed significant improvements in LTC scores over time. The LTC12 scale demonstrated the largest effect size (d = 1.18, p = .003). A 1-point increase on the LTC3 index was associated with a 37% increase in new patients receiving MOUD (IRR = 1.37, 95% CI [1.01,1.86], p = .047). A 1-point increase on LTC2 was associated with a 24% increase (IRR = 1.24, 95% CI [1.01,1.53], p = 0.049).
conclusionsOur findings provide preliminary empirical support for a replicable measure of LTC in primary care settings. Longer scales showed greater internal consistency and sensitivity to change, while brief scales predicted patient reach outcomes. These measures may be useful for clinical programs to gauge the extent to which their MOUD services align with low threshold care principles and to guide quality improvement efforts. Future research should validate these scales in larger, diverse cohorts and test causal impact.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.