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News Release

Most Prescriptions for Opioid Addiction Medication Buprenorphine Are Written by a Small Number of Providers

Jun 1, 2021

Half of all patient-months of buprenorphine treatment during 2016 and 2017 were prescribed by just 4.9% of the physicians and other providers who prescribed the drug during the period.
Commentary

Australia Contained COVID-19 Early On. Can It Do the Same with Synthetic Opioids?

Apr 30, 2021

Australia is at risk of a fentanyl problem, but it is better prepared than North America. If the country can make the same kind of concerted effort it did to keep COVID-19 at bay, that could save thousands of lives.

Explore Opioids

Journal Article

Consensus-based Approach to Managing Opioids, Including Opioid Misuse and Opioid Use Disorder, in Patients with Serious Illness: Protocol for a Modified Delphi Process

Using a modified Delphi approach, we created seven patient cases that capture important management challenges in individuals with serious illness prescribed opioid therapy.

Sep 22, 2021
Journal Article

Pregnant Women with Substance Use Disorders: The Harm Associated with Punitive Approaches

Punishing pregnant women with SUDs has been ineffective; it's time to prioritize approaches that support pregnant women and their families.

Aug 31, 2021
Dissertation

Three Essays on the Broader Effects of the Opioid Crisis

Investigates the unintended consequences of opioid policies, OxyContin reformulation and prescription drug monitoring programs on crime, labor supply, and child welfare.

Aug 24, 2021
Blog

Historic Lynchings and Voter Registration, China in Space, Firefighters' Mental Health: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the link between historic lynchings and voter registration, Afghanistan in the era of fentanyl, supporting firefighters’ mental health, and more.

Jul 30, 2021
Report

Afghanistan in the Era of Fentanyl

Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are displacing heroin in some major drug markets. What might happen to Afghanistan—the world's largest producer of illegal opium poppy—if demand for its opiates dropped off sharply and permanently?

Jul 26, 2021
Journal Article

Informing the Development of a Standardized Clinical Definition of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Protocol for a Modified-Delphi Expert Panel

The goal of this paper is to describe a protocol for a systematic expert panel process to inform the development of a clinical definition of neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Jul 23, 2021
Journal Article

Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Disorders Among Youth Subsequently Diagnosed With Opioid Use Disorder or Opioid Poisoning

This study examined receipt of services for mental health conditions and non-opioid substance use disorders among privately insured adolescents and young adults (ie, youth) with subsequent clinically diagnosed opioid use disorder or opioid poisoning.

Jul 21, 2021
Tool

How to Integrate Pharmacotherapy for Substance Use Disorders at Your Mental Health Clinic: A Step-By-Step Guide for Screening and Treating Adults with Co-Occurring Mental Illness and Alcohol and/or Opioid Use Disorders with Pharmacotherapy in Mental Health Clinics

RAND researchers provide a toolkit to support the delivery of effective, evidence-based pharmacotherapy for clients with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders and simplify care implementation in mental health clinics.

Jul 8, 2021
Tool

Medication Management of Co-Occurring Opioid Use Disorder in Mental Health Settings: A Guide for Practitioners

Researchers and clinicians provide a guide for identifying clients with co-occurring opioid use and mental health disorders in mental health settings and treating these clients with an appropriate opioid use disorder medication.

Jul 8, 2021
Periodical

RAND Review: July-August 2021

One feature highlights how researchers apply an equity lens to projects on environmental racism, incarcerated parents, and the lives of Black service members; a second describes interventions to address disparities in infant mortality rates.

Jul 1, 2021
Multimedia

State-Level Opioid Policy Analyses: Moving Beyond the Classic Difference-in-Differences Model

This workshop provides an overview of key methodological challenges faced when evaluating the effectiveness of state-level policy using annual state-level data, as well as potential solutions and practice guidelines.

Jun 24, 2021
Journal Article

Concentration of Patient Care Among Buprenorphine-Prescribing Clinicians in the U.S.

Drawing on national retail pharmacy data, researchers identified and categorized clinicians who prescribed buprenorphine for OUD at least once between January 2017 and December 2018.

Jun 10, 2021
Blog

Sexual Assault in the Military, School Security, Mental Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the risk of sexual assault to sexual minorities in the U.S. military, making treatment more accessible to people struggling with opioid addiction, countering Russian propaganda, and more.

Jun 4, 2021
Journal Article

Toward a Typology of Office-based Buprenorphine Treatment Laws: Themes from a Review of State Laws

Buprenorphine is a gold standard treatment for opioid use disorder. Some states have passed laws regulating office-based buprenorphine treatment, with requirements beyond those required in federal law. This study identified themes in state laws.

May 26, 2021
Periodical

RAND Review: May-June 2021

The cover story highlights the value of invention, analyzing the economic and social impacts of winners of the Lemelson-MIT Prize. A second feature focuses on human rights abuses against ethnic Uyghurs in China and what we know from satellite images.

May 6, 2021
Journal Article

Clinician Perspectives on Methadone Service Delivery and the Use of Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

To explore the impact of the pandemic and accompanying policy changes on service delivery, we asked OTP clinicians about changes in care patterns and perceptions of impacts on access and quality.

May 5, 2021
Journal Article

Opioid Misuse During Late Adolescence and Its Effects on Risk Behaviors, Social Functioning, Health, and Emerging Adult Roles

We examined the association of opioid misuse from ages 18 to 20 with four domains at age 21–22: risk behaviors and consequences; health; social functioning; and emerging adult roles.

Apr 28, 2021
Journal Article

Growing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Buprenorphine Distribution in the United States, 2007–2017

We find ecological evidence consistent with racial/ethnic disparities in buprenorphine distribution. Our finding that initiatives to increase the number of waivered prescribers are insufficient to achieve equitable buprenorphine access.

Apr 27, 2021

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