With over 72,000 overdose deaths in 2017, of which 47,600 are attributable to opioid overdose, the opioid epidemic has become North America's most widespread behavioral public health problem. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) is highly efficacious. The Opioid Addiction Recovery Support (OARS), comprised of a healthcare team portal connected to a patient mobile application, provides opioid-related education, promotes connectedness with clinicians, and tracks MAT treatment progress. This study will conduct interviews with patients that will inform optimal design of OARS, assess the efficacy of OARS in improving MAT outcomes in primary care settings, and evaluate the sustainability and return on investment. It joins an outstanding scientific team at University of California, Los Angeles and a small business that has developed, Opioid Addiction Recovery Support (OARS) -- a software platform that by integrating with the Electronic Health Record (EHR) improves clinical management of patients by primary care providers (PCPs) treating patients with OUD using MAT. OARS platform uses a dashboard to show the real-time measurement of patient achievements in recovery. It provides opportunities for patients to interact with their PCPs, allowing for better connection to and support from their PCPs. OARS platform features artificial intelligence to analyze information from the EHR and from patients to provide a relapse risk assessment for patients receiving MAT for OUD, an innovation that sets OARS apart from other software solutions. The goal of Phase 1 was to modify the OARS platform for use in primary care settings by conducting interviews with Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) (N=20) and their patients with OUD (N=40) in primary care settings to collect data on feasibility and acceptability of engaging with OARS to inform the user-centered design of OARS. The goals of Phase 2 of this study are to: (1) to assess the effectiveness of OARS in improving opioid agonist treatment outcomes across 6 treatment programs (N=200 treated patients) and (2) evaluate the sustainability and return on investment of OARS implementation across 6 treatment programs. A commercialization plan documents progress to date for the OARS platform and presents a market plan to improve both the scale and quality of MAT services delivered by PCPs in primary care, which is a major contribution to addressing the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
246
OARS (Opioid Addiction Recovery Support) is used by providers of MAT programs to improve insight into a patient's recovery progress while promoting ownership and adherence to treatment plans. OARS also provides extensive tools to support patients with recovery from Opioid Use Disorder.
UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine
Los Angeles, California, United States
Urine Drug Screening Test Results
Percent of participants who had positive urine screening tests for buprenorphine, opioids (heroin, synthetics, fentanyl), cocaine, methamphetamine, benzodiazepines, cannabis. During the TAU period (pre-intervention), the percentage of all patient drug screens that were positive was calculated. The same was done during the OARS implementation period (post-intervention) for comparison with the TAU period (baseline).
Time frame: Comparison of TAU baseline period (prior to start of intervention, up to 13 months) to OARS implementation period (start of intervention through to study completion, up to 10 months). Time Frames for the TAU and OARS periods differ by site.
Appointment Attendance
Percent of appointments scheduled and kept with Primary Care Provider. During the TAU period (pre-intervention), the percentage of attended appointments was calculated. The same was done during the OARS implementation period (post-intervention) for comparison with the TAU period (baseline).
Time frame: Comparison of TAU baseline period (prior to start of intervention, up to 13 months) to OARS implementation period (start of intervention through to study completion, up to 10 months). Time Frames for the TAU and OARS periods differ by site.
OARS Features Use
Type of OARS mobile phone app feature accessed by patient and level of patient involvement with each feature (times viewed per week). During the OARS implementation period (post-intervention), the type of OARS mobile phone app feature accessed by patient and level of patient involvement with each feature were calculated.
Time frame: OARS implementation period (start of intervention through to study completion, up to 10 months). Time Frames for the OARS periods differ by site.
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.