Patient-Centered Telehealth Solution for Observed Urine Collections in Substance Use Disorder Care Delivery During COVID-19 and Beyond

Alexa Brett; Heather Foster; Michael Joseph; Jill S Warrington

doi:10.1177/23743735211033128

Patient-Centered Telehealth Solution for Observed Urine Collections in Substance Use Disorder Care Delivery During COVID-19 and Beyond

J Patient Exp. 2021 Jul 29:8:23743735211033128. doi: 10.1177/23743735211033128. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Alexa Brett¹, Heather Foster¹, Michael Joseph¹, Jill S Warrington^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Aspenti Health, South Burlington, VT, USA.
² Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Robert Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.

Abstract

Patients with substance use disorder (SUD) rely upon urine drug testing to support treatment adherence and to mitigate relapse. Before the onset of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the logistical challenges of randomized observed collections for urine drug testing for the patient were significant. During COVID-19, these barriers were often insurmountable. Since SUD patients represent a population at a higher risk for complications from COVID-19, an alternative strategy to support COVID-19 testing was urgently needed. We designed and deployed a telehealth-based solution in which patients could use mobile devices to connect with trained collection professionals to perform observed urine collections, often referred to a UA (urinalysis). The solution was designed with patient-centered best practices for telehealth, stigma prevention, trauma-informed, empathy and compassion, and to remove barriers to access to care. This approach demonstrated high patient satisfaction scores thereby proving that it is possible to provide urine collection services in the patient's home via a telehealth technology, while still upholding SUD testing integrity best practices. This study lays the path for a more patient-centered way to support this population.

Keywords: COVID-19; mobile device; patient experience; telecollections; telehealth; urine collection.