Physician’s Attitudes Toward Patients With Opioid Use Disorder and Use of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Vary by Training

Abstract

Objectives:

This study compared whether different addiction treatment educational experiences were associated with physicians’ attitudes toward patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and perceived efficacy of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

Methods:

Ohio physicians (n = 2757) with and without a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine (Drug Addiction Treatment Act 2000 [DATA 2000] waiver) were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward treating patients with OUD and on the effectiveness of MOUD. We divided physicians into 3 groups: physicians with DATA 2000 waivers, non-waivered physicians with experiential training, and non-waivered physicians without experiential training. We defined experiential training as educational experience directly working with individuals with OUD including those in recovery. Analysis of variance was used to detect statistically significant group differences.

Results:

We found significant main effect differences in attitudes toward patients with OUD and perceived efficacy of MOUD between groups (P ≤ .01) for all but one attitude. Post hoc comparisons revealed waivered physicians had the most favorable attitudes. Among physicians without a waiver, those with experiential training had significantly more favorable attitudes toward treating OUD and perceived MOUD to be more effective, including items such as “OUD are treatable illnesses” and “medication assisted treatment is a crucial part of treatment for OUD.”

Conclusion:

The results suggest that physicians with DATA 2000 waiver and experiential training, as compared to physicians without either a waiver or experiential training in OUD, are associated with less stigmatizing views of treating patients with OUD and prescribing MOUD. While legislation in December 2022 eliminated DATA 2000 waiver training requirement, these findings suggest an ongoing need for training opportunities.