Lack of treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) has been reported among adolescents and most adults with OUD treatment needs in the past year as per a study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, published in JAMA Network Open.
It was stated that only 28 percent of the needy ones for OUD treatment received medication for it. The data showed that 57 percent received no treatment for the disorder, and 15 percent received only services without medication.
‘Lowest delivery of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment among adolescents and adults aged 50 years and older as reported in the past year emphasizes the need for better management strategies.’
Notably, adolescents (aged 12-17 years) did not receive MOUD in the past year and only 13 percent of adults 50 years and older received medication for the disorder.
“Our nationally representative research revealed critical gaps in treatment engagement and use of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Increased efforts to address barriers to care are critically needed. Evidence supporting the effectiveness of medication for opioid use disorder such as methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone is unequivocal, but most people who needed OUD treatment in the US did not receive this gold standard treatment. Our findings support calls for additional MOUD engagement and retention strategies tailored for both adolescents,” says Pia Mauro, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and the study’s lead author.
Source: Medindia
