Most people who need and want treatment for opioid addiction cannot access it. Among those who do get treatment, only a fraction receive evidence-based, life-saving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Many facets of our health systems and policies create unwarranted, inflexible, and punitive practices that create life-threatening barriers to care. In the U.S., opioid use disorder care is maximally disruptive. Minimally disruptive medicine (MDM) is a framework that focuses on achieving patient goals while imposing the smallest possible burden on patients’ lives. Using MDM framing, this study highlights how current medical practices and policies worsen the burden of treatment and illness, compound life demands, and strain resources. Researchers also offer suggestions for programmatic and policy changes that would reduce disruption to the lives of those seeking care, improve health care quality and delivery, begin to address disparities and inequities, and save lives.

Read more: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-022-07939-x