Study: Pandemic telehealth use linked to lower opioid overdose risk

Receiving opioid use disorder-related telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with lower odds of overdose and better retention using medications like buprenorphine, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. Receiving opioid use disorder-related telehealth care during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with lower odds of medically treated overdose and better retention using medications like methadone and buprenorphine, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. Researchers found 19.6% of beneficiaries in the pandemic group received OUD-related telehealth services during the study period, compared with only 0.6% of patients in the prepandemic cohort. Though the percentage who experienced a medically treated overdose was similar in both groups, the study found receiving OUD-related telehealth was associated with increased odds of continuing to use medications for OUD and lowered odds of overdose. "Use of telehealth during the pandemic was associated with improved retention in care and reduced odds of medically treated overdose, providing support for permanent adoption," the study's authors wrote.