Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1.
Selected Characteristics of Patients Receiving Buprenorphine-Naloxone Treatment at 2 Primary Care Sites (n = 99)
Characteristics Value Female, % 36 Mean age, years 33 Non-Hispanic white, % 94 Seropositive for hepatitis C, % 25 Average time in treatment, days 105 Privately insured, % 27 Mean stabilization dose of buprenorphine, mg 15 - Table 2.
Characteristics of Patients Treated With Buprenorphine-Naloxone Who Did and Did Not Maintain Sobriety Over 6 Months
Characteristic Sober Patients (n = 53) Nonsober Patients (n = 46) PValue AA = Alcohol Anonymous; NA = Narcotics Anonymous. * Some patients were addicted to >1 drug. Attended AA or NA, % 55 37 .09 Private insurance, % 36 18 .05 Self-pay, % 4 18 .02 Length of time in treatment, days 169 62 <.01 Mean buprenorphine dosage, mg/d 15.5 15.3 .86 Female, % 34 40 .54 Seropositive for hepatitis C, % 26 24 .82 Addiction to heroin, %* 70 78 .37 Addiction to methadone, %* 6 0 .11 Addiction to oxycodone/Oxycontin, %* 40 38 .85 Treated at hospital-based primary care site, % 49 42 .50 Living in ZIP codes with poverty rates below 10%, % 46 43 .79 Average age, years 35 31 .05
Additional Files
The Article in Brief
Treating Opioid Addiction With Buprenorphine-Naloxone in Community-Based Primary Care Settings
Ira L. Mintzer, MD, and colleagues
Background Buprenorphine is a medication that has been approved for treating patients who are addicted to opioids, a group of drugs that include heroin and some prescription pain relievers. Doctors who receive special certification can provide buprenorphine treatment in their office. This study examines the effectiveness and practicality of buprenorphine treatment in two primary care offices.
What This Study Found Opioid-addicted patients can be safely treated in primary care offices. In this study, 54% of patients were sober at 6 months, which is similar to success rates in more specialized drug treatment centers.
Implications
- Opioid-addicted patients can be safely and effectively treated in primary care offices with limited on-site resources.
- The authors call for more buprenorphine treatment outside of specialized treatment centers, and they encourage other primary care doctors to consider providing such treatment.
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