Methadone Bridge Therapy aids opioid treatment access
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Researchers at UCSF and the San Francisco Department of Public Health studied whether a three-day methadone program could help people begin and continue opioid treatment.
Federal regulations limit where people can receive methadone for opioid use disorder, creating barriers to entry for those seeking help. The study team examined 166 patients who received methadone at the Bridge Clinic in San Francisco to connect them with longer-term treatment.
The team found that 63 percent of patients linked to an opioid treatment program within seven days of receiving the initial dose at the Bridge Clinic, and of those, 62 percent remained in treatment after 30 days. Patients referred to the Bridge Clinic from a co-located opioid treatment program had 3.1 times higher odds of staying in treatment for 30 days compared to those who arrived through other means.
This suggests coordinated care between the Bridge Clinic and the treatment program improved outcomes. The study found no safety issues, with no emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or deaths related to the methadone provided at the clinic. Researchers noted this approach could be especially useful in areas where opioid treatment programs are scarce, offering a way to connect patients with ongoing care while addressing immediate withdrawal symptoms.
The team built on work done at Boston Medical Center to create this low-threshold model.
