Incorporating medication-assisted treatment and telehealth resources in PA curriculum.

Abstract

PURPOSE Substance use disorder (SUD) is a signifi cant public health challenge in the United States. About 100,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in 2021. This is an increase of 28.5% from the year before. This trend, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is correlated to challenges including access to healthcare fraught by a shortage of trained PAs able to manage SUD. Dissemination of evidence-based approaches for SUD management is essential. The access facilitated by implementation of telehealth and improved SUD outcomes through use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment, also called medication assisted treatment (MAT), has been well documented. However, research in this area is limited. Project Medication-Assisted Treatment and Telehealth Educational Resource (iMATTER) aimed to develop and disseminate evidence-based curricula on telehealth-enabled MOUD practices.