“People are dying of opioid use disorder at increasing rates. We hope our results can improve treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder and help reduce harms related to opioids, including deaths”- Dr. Brian HuttonProviding incentives like free movie passes or small cash rewards to motivate people with opioid use disorder to continue opioid agonist therapy (OAT) improves retention in the treatment program, according to a systematic review led by Drs. Brian Hutton, Kim Corace and Danielle Rice.
The study reviewed the effectiveness of multiple psychosocial interventions when paired with OAT, the gold standard drug treatment for opioid use disorder. Dr. Hutton’s team worked with people with lived experience, clinicians, and policy makers to perform a network meta- analysis of 72 clinical trials on the topic.
The most promising psychosocial intervention was found to be motivational incentives when compared with other approaches. Unfortunately, there was considerable variability between the clinical trials, making comparisons difficult. To improve research in opioid use disorder in future, the authors recommend researchers choose key outcomes that are consistent between studies, adequately report their interventions, and include individuals with additional mental health and physical health disorders in their clinical trials.
“People are dying of opioid use disorder at increasing rates. We hope our results can improve treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder and help reduce harms related to opioids, including deaths”- Dr. Brian Hutton, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Ottawa.
Authors: Danielle Rice, Kimberly Corace, Dianna Wolfe, Leila Esmaeilisaraji, Alan Michaud, Alicia Grima , Bradley Austin, Reuben Douma, Pauline Barbeau, Claire Butler, Melanie Willows, Patricia A. Poulin, Beth A. Sproule, Amy Porath, Gary Garber, Sheena Taha, Gord Garner, Becky Skidmore, David Moher, Kednapa Thavorn, Brian Hutton
Source: PLOS One
Core Resources: Ottawa Methods Centre (Knowledge Synthesis Group)
Funding: The Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Research at The Ottawa Hospital is enabled by generous donations to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
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