Evaluating the Impact of Increased Dispensing of Opioid Agonist Therapy Take-Home Doses on Treatment Retention and Opioid-Related Harm among Opioid Agonist Therapy Recipients: A Simulation Study
Modified opioid agonist therapy (OAT) guidelines that were initially introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic allow prescribers to increase the number of take-home doses to fulfill their need for physical distancing and prevent treatment discontinuation. It is crucial to evaluate the consequence of a...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-08-01
|
| Series: | Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/11/8/391 |
| _version_ | 1827728595953385472 |
|---|---|
| author | Narjes Shojaati Nathaniel D. Osgood |
| author_facet | Narjes Shojaati Nathaniel D. Osgood |
| author_sort | Narjes Shojaati |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Modified opioid agonist therapy (OAT) guidelines that were initially introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic allow prescribers to increase the number of take-home doses to fulfill their need for physical distancing and prevent treatment discontinuation. It is crucial to evaluate the consequence of administering higher take-home doses of OAT on treatment retention and opioid-related harms among OAT recipients to decide whether the new recommendations should be retained post-pandemic. This study used an agent-based model to simulate individuals dispensed daily or weekly OAT (methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone) with a prescription over a six-month treatment period. Within the model simulation, a subset of OAT recipients was deemed eligible for receiving increased take-home doses of OAT at varying points during their treatment time course. Model results demonstrated that the earlier dispensing of increased take-home doses of OAT were effective in achieving a slightly higher treatment retention among OAT recipients. Extended take-home doses also increased opioid-related harms among buprenorphine/naloxone-treated individuals. The model results also illustrated that expanding naloxone availability within OAT patients’ networks could prevent these possible side effects. Therefore, policymakers may need to strike a balance between expanding access to OAT through longer-duration take-home doses and managing the potential risks associated with increased opioid-related harms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:32:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-06d5e2ce9d754206807b3fd47696ecfe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-8954 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:32:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-06d5e2ce9d754206807b3fd47696ecfe2023-11-19T03:12:31ZengMDPI AGSystems2079-89542023-08-0111839110.3390/systems11080391Evaluating the Impact of Increased Dispensing of Opioid Agonist Therapy Take-Home Doses on Treatment Retention and Opioid-Related Harm among Opioid Agonist Therapy Recipients: A Simulation StudyNarjes Shojaati0Nathaniel D. Osgood1Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C9, CanadaDepartment of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C9, CanadaModified opioid agonist therapy (OAT) guidelines that were initially introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic allow prescribers to increase the number of take-home doses to fulfill their need for physical distancing and prevent treatment discontinuation. It is crucial to evaluate the consequence of administering higher take-home doses of OAT on treatment retention and opioid-related harms among OAT recipients to decide whether the new recommendations should be retained post-pandemic. This study used an agent-based model to simulate individuals dispensed daily or weekly OAT (methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone) with a prescription over a six-month treatment period. Within the model simulation, a subset of OAT recipients was deemed eligible for receiving increased take-home doses of OAT at varying points during their treatment time course. Model results demonstrated that the earlier dispensing of increased take-home doses of OAT were effective in achieving a slightly higher treatment retention among OAT recipients. Extended take-home doses also increased opioid-related harms among buprenorphine/naloxone-treated individuals. The model results also illustrated that expanding naloxone availability within OAT patients’ networks could prevent these possible side effects. Therefore, policymakers may need to strike a balance between expanding access to OAT through longer-duration take-home doses and managing the potential risks associated with increased opioid-related harms.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/11/8/391agent-based modellingopioid agonist therapyCOVID-19-related public health ordermethadonebuprenorphine/naloxoneretention in opioid agonist therapy |
| spellingShingle | Narjes Shojaati Nathaniel D. Osgood Evaluating the Impact of Increased Dispensing of Opioid Agonist Therapy Take-Home Doses on Treatment Retention and Opioid-Related Harm among Opioid Agonist Therapy Recipients: A Simulation Study Systems agent-based modelling opioid agonist therapy COVID-19-related public health order methadone buprenorphine/naloxone retention in opioid agonist therapy |
| title | Evaluating the Impact of Increased Dispensing of Opioid Agonist Therapy Take-Home Doses on Treatment Retention and Opioid-Related Harm among Opioid Agonist Therapy Recipients: A Simulation Study |
| title_full | Evaluating the Impact of Increased Dispensing of Opioid Agonist Therapy Take-Home Doses on Treatment Retention and Opioid-Related Harm among Opioid Agonist Therapy Recipients: A Simulation Study |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating the Impact of Increased Dispensing of Opioid Agonist Therapy Take-Home Doses on Treatment Retention and Opioid-Related Harm among Opioid Agonist Therapy Recipients: A Simulation Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating the Impact of Increased Dispensing of Opioid Agonist Therapy Take-Home Doses on Treatment Retention and Opioid-Related Harm among Opioid Agonist Therapy Recipients: A Simulation Study |
| title_short | Evaluating the Impact of Increased Dispensing of Opioid Agonist Therapy Take-Home Doses on Treatment Retention and Opioid-Related Harm among Opioid Agonist Therapy Recipients: A Simulation Study |
| title_sort | evaluating the impact of increased dispensing of opioid agonist therapy take home doses on treatment retention and opioid related harm among opioid agonist therapy recipients a simulation study |
| topic | agent-based modelling opioid agonist therapy COVID-19-related public health order methadone buprenorphine/naloxone retention in opioid agonist therapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/11/8/391 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT narjesshojaati evaluatingtheimpactofincreaseddispensingofopioidagonisttherapytakehomedosesontreatmentretentionandopioidrelatedharmamongopioidagonisttherapyrecipientsasimulationstudy AT nathanieldosgood evaluatingtheimpactofincreaseddispensingofopioidagonisttherapytakehomedosesontreatmentretentionandopioidrelatedharmamongopioidagonisttherapyrecipientsasimulationstudy |