Medication Assisted Treatment and Psychosocial Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder at An Outpatient Substance Abuse Clinic

Abstract

Opioid addiction has a significant impact on individual and public health, as opioids continue to be the primary substance implicated in fatal overdoses. In 2018, opioids were present in approximately 70% of all drug overdose deaths (67,367) in the United States. The rate of opioid related deaths has more than doubled in the past decade with more than 70,000 deaths involving opioids in 2017. Estimated expenses related to the opioid crisis reached $504 billion in 2017. This project explored differences in relapse rates (opioid free days) in patients receiving medication assisted treatment only compared to patients receiving medication assisted treatment plus psychosocial therapy. This quality improvement project was a retrospective 6-month chart review of 30 patients from a federally qualified health center. No statistically significant differences were found in relapse days or sobriety days in patients receiving medication assisted treatment only and those receiving medication assisted treatment plus psychosocial therapy. Given the comparable treatment outcomes, psychosocial therapy at this project site could be an evidence-based optional therapy to consider as an adjunct treatment, or the patient may continue receiving only medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.