College of Medicine, Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, 1100 Veterans Drive, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
College of Arts & Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 106 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA.
BMC Womens Health. 2024 Oct 4;24(1):549. doi: 10.1186/s12905-024-03394-4.
Opioid use disorder (OUD) remains a significant health care need for women, particularly those involved in the criminal legal system (CLS). There are no studies to date that focus on the utilization of telehealth as a platform for assessment and linkage to medications to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD) at community re-entry for women, despite the fact that women have unique risk factors that may contribute to opioid relapse in the community. The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to provide an overview of the innovative use of telehealth for linking incarcerated women to community MOUD treatment in the Kentucky-hub of the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN).
This study incorporates qualitative and quantitative data collection with MOUD providers, recovery staff involved in peer navigation services, and women who are incarcerated to understand perceptions of the use of telehealth prior to jail release as a linkage to community services.
Findings from this study suggest overall support for the use of telehealth between community MOUD treatment providers and women who are incarcerated using videoconferencing technology. On average, there was very little variation in provider favorable feedback related to clinical engagement or in face-to-face comparability, as well as how telehealth allowed the participant to discuss personal and sensitive issues during the clinical assessment.
Study findings suggest benefits associated with the use of telehealth in increasing access to treatment for women with OUD. Jails are critical venues for telehealth interventions because they provide the opportunity to reach women who have been actively using illicit substances, often have advanced-stage substance use disorders which have compromised their health and mental health, and often have not been previously identified as needing treatment.
This study was originally registered on 8/23/19, ClinicalTrials.gov, #NCT04069624.
阿片类药物使用障碍（OUD）仍然是女性的一项重大医疗需求，尤其是那些涉及刑事司法系统（CLS）的女性。迄今为止，没有研究专门关注远程医疗作为评估和联系社区重新进入女性阿片类药物使用障碍（MOUD）治疗的平台，尽管女性有独特的风险因素，可能导致她们在社区中复吸阿片类药物。本混合方法研究的目的是概述使用远程医疗为被监禁的女性在肯塔基州司法社区阿片类药物创新网络（JCOIN）的中心与社区 MOUD 治疗相联系的创新方法。
本研究结合了 MOUD 提供者、参与同伴导航服务的康复工作人员和被监禁的女性的定性和定量数据收集，以了解在入狱前使用远程医疗作为社区服务联系的看法。
这项研究的结果表明，社区 MOUD 治疗提供者和被监禁的女性之间普遍支持使用远程医疗，使用视频会议技术。平均而言，提供者对临床参与或面对面可比性的有利反馈以及远程医疗如何允许参与者在临床评估期间讨论个人和敏感问题方面的差异非常小。
研究结果表明，远程医疗在增加 OUD 女性获得治疗方面具有益处。监狱是远程医疗干预的关键场所，因为它们提供了接触那些一直在积极使用非法物质的女性的机会，这些女性通常已经患有晚期物质使用障碍，这已经损害了她们的健康和心理健康，而且往往以前没有被确定为需要治疗。
本研究最初于 2019 年 8 月 23 日在 ClinicalTrials.gov 注册，#NCT04069624。
