Telehealth Intervention Helps to Combat Opioid Use Disorder and Chronic Pain

The participants in the MORE plus usual care group exhibited significantly less return to drug use and lower dropout rates from Methadone Treatment when compared to those receiving usual care only. The hazard ratio for return to drug use was 0.58 (95% CI, 0.37-0.90), and for Methadone Treatment dropout, it was 0.41 (95% CI, 0.18-0.96). MORE participants also had fewer days of drug use, better methadone adherence, and experienced reductions in depression and pain compared to the usual care group. 

Telehealth MORE demonstrated its feasibility and critical impact on critical aspects of OUD management which ranged from drug use and treatment retention to pain and emotional well-being in patients. These findings highlight the potential of innovative telehealth approaches in addressing the complex interplay of addiction and chronic pain which helps in managing opioid use disorder.

Reference:

Cooperman, N. A., Lu, S.-E., Hanley, A. W., Puvananayagam, T., Dooley-Budsock, P., Kline, A., & Garland, E. L. (2023). Telehealth Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement vs Usual Care in Individuals With Opioid Use Disorder and Pain. In JAMA Psychiatry. American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.5138