The effect of a pilot brief educational intervention on preferences regarding treatments for opioid use disorder

Emaun Irani; Colin Macleod; Stephanie Slat; Adrianne Kehne; Erin Madden; Kaitlyn Jaffe; Amy Bohnert; Pooja Lagisetty

doi:10.1016/j.dadr.2024.100235

The effect of a pilot brief educational intervention on preferences regarding treatments for opioid use disorder

Drug Alcohol Depend Rep. 2024 Apr 24:11:100235. doi: 10.1016/j.dadr.2024.100235. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Authors

Emaun Irani¹, Colin Macleod^{1

2}, Stephanie Slat¹, Adrianne Kehne¹, Erin Madden³, Kaitlyn Jaffe⁴, Amy Bohnert^{5

2}, Pooja Lagisetty^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
² VA Center for Clinical Management Research (CCMR), VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
³ Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, 3939 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
⁴ Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁵ Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Abstract

Purpose: Negative perceptions around medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) amongst the public could deter patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) from engaging with MOUD. Thus, we evaluated whether a brief intervention could improve preferences for MOUD in people who may or may not use opioids.

Methods: We employed a pre-post design to assess the effect of a brief educational intervention on preferences for methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, and non-medication treatment in an online sample of US adults stratified by race, who may or may not use opioids. Respondents ranked their preferences in OUD treatment before and after watching four one-minute educational videos about treatment options. Changes in treatment preferences were analyzed using Bhapkar's test and post hoc McNemar's tests. A binary logistic generalized estimating equation (GEE) assessed factors associated with preference between treatments.

Results: The sample had 530 responses. 194 identified as White, 173 Black, 163 Latinx. Treatment preferences changed significantly towards MOUD (p<.001). This effect was driven by changes toward buprenorphine (OR=2.38; p<.001) and away from non-medication treatment (OR=0.20; p<.001). There was no significant difference in effect by race/ethnicity. People with lower opioid familiarity were significantly more likely to change their preferences towards MOUD following the intervention.

Conclusion: Respondent preferences for MOUD increased following the intervention suggesting that brief educational interventions can change treatment preferences towards MOUD. These findings offer insights into perceptions of OUD treatment in a racially stratified sample and serve as a foundation for future educational materials that target MOUD preferences in the general public.

Keywords: Educational intervention; Harm-reduction; Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD); Public stigma; Treatment preference.