TABLE 2.
Changes in Medication Treatment Practices Following COVID-19
| OTP Characteristic | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Modifications to buprenorphine maintenance treatment (n = 20) | |
| Longer days supply | 7 (35%) |
| Suspended or less frequent drug screening | 3 (15%) |
| Relaxed counseling/self-help requirements | 3 (15%) |
| Offered counseling/self-help groups virtually | 14 (70%) |
| Offered video appointments for buprenorphine induction | 5 (25%) |
| Offered video appointments for buprenorphine follow ups | 8 (40%) |
| Offered phone appointments for buprenorphine induction | 2 (10%) |
| Offered phone appointments for buprenorphine follow ups | 10 (50%) |
| Strategies to reduce buprenorphine diversion/adverse events in OTPs that allocated longer buprenorphine days supply (N = 7) | |
| Requiring medication lock boxes | 0 (0%) |
| Requiring return of empty bottles | 0 (0%) |
| Random call-backs of medication | 4 (57%) |
| Random drug screening | 4 (57%) |
| Regular drug screening | 5 (71%) |
| Modifications to methadone maintenance treatment (n = 38) | |
| Longer take-home supplies | 25 (66%) |
| Suspended or less frequent drug screening | 3 (8%) |
| Relaxed counseling/self-help requirements | 5 (13%) |
| Offered counseling/self-help groups virtually | 32 (84%) |
| Offered video appointments for follow ups | 19 (50%) |
| Offered telephone appointments for follow ups | 23 (61%) |
| Criteria used in decisions around methadone take-home allocations (n = 39) | |
| Time in program | 32 (82%) |
| Clinical severity | 35 (90%) |
| Demographic or socioeconomic characteristics | 23 (59%) |
| Other | 21 (54%) |
| Strategies to reduce methadone diversion/adverse events in OTPs that allocated longer methadone take-homes (N = 25) | |
| Requiring medication lock boxes | 23 (92%) |
| Requiring return of empty bottles | 24 (96%) |
| Random call-backs of medication | 19 (76%) |
| Random drug screening | 24 (96%) |
| Regular drug screening1 | 17 (68%) |
Note: Survey questions in these domains were asked a portion of the total respondents, based on prior answers (See survey instrument in Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JAM/A334). Domains related to buprenorphine treatment were asked of 24 total respondents who answered questions about buprenorphine treatment practices before COVID, and domains related to methadone treatment were asked of 41 respondents who answered questions about methadone treatment practices before COVID. The total number of respondents that completed each domain (the denominator for each percentage) are noted by the domain name.
OTP indicates opioid treatment program.