Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: May 24, 2022
Date Accepted: Aug 9, 2022
Date Submitted to PubMed: Aug 16, 2022
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Feasibility of a Novel COVID-19 Telehealth Care Management Program among Individuals Receiving Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Pilot Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the existing epidemic of opioid use disorder (OUD) across the United States partly due to the disruption of in-person treatment and support services.
Objective:
This pilot study aimed to determine the feasibility of delivering a COVID-19 telehealth care management program for patients receiving OUD treatment.
Methods:
Individuals were recruited from a state-wide opioid treatment program (OTP) network. Those who screened positive for COVID-19 symptoms were invited to connect to care management through a secure Short Message Service (SMS) text message. Care management monitoring services for COVID-19 were provided for a period of up to 14 days.
Results:
Between January and April 2021, OTP staff members referred 21 patients with COVID-19 symptoms and 18 (82%) agreed to be contacted by a care manager. Of these, 12 (67%) patients were enrolled in the program with two (11%) opting out of SMS text message communication to instead speak with a care manager by telephone. On average [median (interquartile range)] participants answered 7 (4-10) messages and remained in the program for 9 (7.5-12) days. No participants were referred for acute care services or hospitalized during program enrollment.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrated the feasibility of a novel telehealth intervention to monitor COVID-19 symptoms among OTP patients in treatment for OUD. Further research is needed to determine the applicability of this intervention to monitor patients with comorbid chronic conditions.
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