Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Medication-Assisted Therapy (Mat) Program Algorithm At Community Health Centers Riverside (Chc-R), Aathman Swaminathan

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

No abstract provided.

Improving Access To Medication Assisted Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder In A Rural Emergency Department, Warren Grunvald

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a growing epidemic throughout the United States and Maine has not been sparred by this. As the Emergency Department is a frequent location for people with OUD to interact with physicians it has been targeted as an opportunity to initiate Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) with Suboxone. This project details an effort to streamline this process and improve outcomes for patients interested in MAT.

Improving access to medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder in a rural Emergency Department

Improving Access To Medication Assisted Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder In A Rural Emergency Department, Warren Grunvald

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a growing epidemic throughout the United States and Maine has not been sparred by this. As the Emergency Department is a frequent location for people with OUD to interact with physicians it has been targeted as an opportunity to initiate Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) with Suboxone. This project details an effort to streamline this process and improve outcomes for patients interested in MAT.

Narrative Medicine: Perspectives On Opioid Maintenance, Noorin Damji

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

People who experience opioid addiction often feel marginalized by healthcare workers, or stigmatized by the medical system. Additionally, there are not enough medical providers to meet the needs of people who struggle with opioid addiction. These factors create barriers that prevent the medical establishment from effectively meeting the needs of people who experience addiction. This project compiles rich perspectives of patients on opioid maintenance treatment to share with medical students and providers to foster greater empathy for these patients, and positive attitudes toward managing substance use disorder among future medical providers.

Assessing Prescriber And Staff Readiness For Change And Evaluation Of Chronic Pain Management, Collin J. Anderson

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Survey-based study of opioid prescribers and staff members at a community health center. Designed to assess current opioid prescribing practices, management of chronic pain patients, and readiness for future change.

Hhhn Clinicians' Beliefs, Barriers, And Motivations Surrounding Mat, Casandra Nowicki

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) consists of using medications that act on the same receptors as opioids to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). MAT providers require formal training and a DEA waiver in order to prescribe certain medications. Providers were asked to complete a survey about the beliefs, barriers, and motivations surrounding MAT to provide valuable insight into what the future of MAT might look like at a specific nonprofit network of community health centers in upstate New York.

Improving Patient Educational Materials For A Suboxone Clinic In Southeastern Vermont, C. Wesley Cubberley

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Access to medical treatment for opioid use disorder plays a significant role in the ability of a community to support a person's recovery. In Springfield, VT, community workers and providers are attempting to organize a Suboxone (buprenorphine + naloxone) clinic in order to bridge the significant geographic and socioeconomic gaps implicit to this rural community's location. In order to garner interest and increase awareness of this forthcoming project, a short, accessible educational flyer was developed with the input of the health center's staff for future use.

Barriers To Smoking Cessation In Patients Enrolled In Suboxone Treatment Programs, Thomas L. Arnell

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year. The prevalence of tobacco use among substance abuse treatment program enrollees is substantially higher than that of the general population, with recent estimates ranging between 75-97%. The aim of this project was to identify specific barriers to smoking cessation in patients enrolled in suboxone treatment programs in Franklin County, VT. The most commonly cited barriers among survey responders were related to fear of the effects of tobacco withdrawl, while the most important barrier was related to fear …

Factors Influencing Suboxone Relapse: A Survey In A Northwestern Vermont Rural Private Family Practice, Derek W. Tan

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The opioid crisis has warranted nationwide attention towards not only the current prescribing patterns of pain medications, but also towards rehabilitating affected members of the community. Current interventions include the use of Suboxone (buprenorphine + naloxone) as well as Subutex (buprenorphine). As the implementation of partial opioid antagonists increase on a statewide level, investigating factors such as drivers of substance relapse are worth considering to further improve adherence to currently available treatment regimens.

Evaluation Of Patient-Centered Tool For Measuring Opioid Addiction Recovery, Laura A. Till

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Vermont has expanded access to medication assisted treatment (MAT) since the onset of the opiate epidemic. This has included the use of family medicine clinicians as waivered prescribers of buprenorphine. In the absence of clear expectations or knowledge of discontinuation and detox, patients and providers must now reframe the traditional understanding of addiction recovery success as simply abstinence, maintenance medication detox, and survivorship. A 20-question, interactive “POWERS Form” has been developed by Stowe’s MAT team as part of routine counseling and clinical visits. Tracking score changes with patients allows reflection on the broader life changes during recovery process. This activity …

Restoring Self-Sufficiency With Suboxone Group Therapy, Jacob Thomas Lehman

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

No different than many other Northeastern states, Maine continues to face an opioid epidemic. Drug-induced deaths continue to rise each year and Lewiston, ME remains no exception. In 2017 Maine saw 418 deaths related to drugs, a number that is only increasing every year. There remains a rising need for effective treatments such as medically assisted therapy. Starting in 2018, the Family Medicine Residency at the Central Maine Medical Center created such a group and began treating patients. The scope of this research is to track improvements in self-sufficiency among patients and to aide in advertisement of the program. Programs …

Out-Of-Pocket Cost For Individuals Being Treated For Opioid Dependence In Rutland County, Vermont, Christopher T. Veal

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Each day more than 140 Americans die from drug overdoses, 91 specifically due to opioids. In Vermont, more than 50 people die each year from opioid poisoning. With insurance coverage being a critical component of Opioid Dependence Recovery, many people seeking treatment are unaware of the financial barriers to recovery- namely the out-of-pocket costs associated with treatment. This study sought to provide insight on the financial impact of Opioid Dependence Treatment on the patient, and provide financial assistance information to the Rutland County community.

Assessing Patient Perspective Of Current Suboxone Treatment, Midori Eckenstein

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The number of people seeking treatment for opioid abuse and heroin use. While this number is increasing the number of heroin fatalities is also on the rise. Methadone clinics are reporting better retention rates than suboxone treatment. This project explores the patient perspectives of suboxone therapy and what can be improved to help establish better practices.

Expanding Access To Dental Care For Patients On Suboxone, Nathan E. White

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Those using Suboxone® for medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence are at increased risk for poor oral health for a variety of reasons including lifestyle factors, effects of opioids and the direct impact of Suboxone® on the oral environment. Medication assisted addiction treatment programs do not regularly address these concerns. This project aims to educate patients about the importance of oral health, remind providers to screen for dental issues and make referrals for dental care and to promote oral health as an important aspect of well being in this vulnerable population

Top Pew, Dexter C. Allen

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Problem: Patients on Suboxone (buprenorphine-naloxone) therapy break compliance by taking higher Suboxone doses, by supplementing with Suboxone purchased illicitly (“off the street”), or by taking other opiates and illicit drugs (cocaine), excluding marijuana. Need: Physicians and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) counselors would benefit from an approach to counseling and treating their patients that would better address the specific vulnerabilities that Suboxone patients face that threaten their compliance.

Mat For Opioid Use Disorder In Maine, Eliot S. Jia

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a major problem in the state of Maine with one person dying from overdose every day. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) using Suboxone has been shown to be helpful in the treatment of OUD, but there is currently a great need for providers to prescribe Suboxone in this region. We looked at barriers that providers saw for obtaining a waiver to prescribe Suboxone and created a handout to educate providers on MAT and the process for getting the waiver.

Suboxone Treatment In Caribou, Me: Evaluating Barriers And Engaging With Mid-Level Providers, Michael Ialeggio

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

The Medication Assisted Recovery (Suboxone) program in Caribou, ME was started in 2004 as a cooperative endeavor by Aroostook County Mental Health Center and "Pines Health Servies". Since its inception, the program has experienced provider attrition. This project aimed to evaluate barriers to becoming and remaining a provider of Opiate Replacement Therapy, and to engage and inform local mid-level providers who will soon be eligible to become providers under the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act passed in July 2016.

Development And Implementation Of A Suboxone Therapy Group, David Hermel

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Implementing effective opiate detoxification is critical to the health and well-being of the Lewiston-Auburn area, which has the highest rate of admissions for substance abuse (especially non-heroin opiates) and mental health conditions in Maine. The number of Maine residents seeking treatment for prescription drug abuse topped the nation at 368 admissions per 100,000 residents in 2008.

Barriers To Recovery For Buprenorphine Patients In Bangor, Maine, Erin L. Keller, John Mclaren

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Opiate addiction is a major public health problem in Maine. Addiction is a chronic disease with high relapse rates. A better understanding of the demographics and barriers to recovery in opiate addicted populations can help to improve the success of buprenorphine treatment programs.