Patient Education on Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement(QI) project was to increase knowledge of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment via patient education on medication assisted treatment (MAT). A secondary aim was to promote an attitude change about persons with OUD. This scholarly inquiry was conducted as a quantitative design with descriptive analysis.Background: In 2018 there were over 47K deaths from opioid overdoses. This is about 130 people dying per day from opioids. In that same year, there were over 2 million people who were diagnosed with OUD and over 10 million who report misusing prescription opioids. The misuse of prescription opioids costs the U.S. $78.5 billion a year. Every month there are over 136K opioid prescriptions filled by pharmacies in Tucson AZ. This is an equivalent of 43mg of morphine per person per day. MAT is considered the best treatment option for opioid use disorder (OUD). It includes the use of medications such as (buprenorphine methadone or naltrexone) along with psychosocial and behavioral therapy. Methods: The setting for this project was the University of Arizona, Telehealth Learning Center. The participants were treated as patients and selected using convenience sampling. The Model for Improvement was used to guide the implementation of this quality improvement project. The tested change was delivered in the form of an evidence-based electronic educational presentation for patients that describes medication-assisted treatment for opioid used disorder. Evaluation was conducted with pre and post surveys to assess participant’s pre and post knowledge related to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. Results: Most participants understood what comprised MAT pre-intervention, but this project was efficacious in increasing knowledge in relation to where to obtain MAT. This project successfully broadened descriptive responses to include outcomes and treatment facilities which complements the increase in knowledge as to where to obtain MAT. There was little change in the belief, intent or attitude questions on the pre and post survey responses. Conclusions: An evidence based educational intervention can be effective in disseminating information about MAT and increasing understanding about OUD.