Workforce and System Change to Treat Adolescent Opioid Use Disorder within Integrated Pediatric Primary Care

L
Leslie Hulvershorn, MD, MSc

Primary Investigator

Enrolling By Invitation
12 years - 100 years
All
Phase N/A
50 participants needed
1 Location

Brief description of study

What is the purpose of this study?

This project seeks to address the increasing risk of overdose death, substance use disorder (SUD), and opioid use disorder (OUD) in adolescents. The investigators believe that pediatric primary care providers (PCP) could play an important role in helping youth with SUD because most adolescents see their PCPs for annual wellness visits. However, PCPs have many barriers to treating their young patients with SUD/OUD: lack of training, resources, and support to deliver SUD/OUD services, limited time with patients, and the only available referral options often come with long wait times for an appointment.

Through this project, the investigators will build upon an existing Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) system by offering stigma-reduction interventions and brief SUD interventions within primary care settings. The goal of this project is to learn if clinics participating in an Integrated Behavioral Healthcare Program with SUD resources will increase delivery of effective adolescent SUD care and ultimately lead to better health outcomes when compared to standard primary care treatment.

THIS STUDY IS ENROLLING BY INVITATION ONLY - We are enrolling participants for three separate groups: 1) primary care clinic (PCC) staff recruited to complete surveys and interviews regarding the implementation of Integrated SUD Care, 2) primary care clinicians who elect to participate in the Game Changers educational intervention, and 3) adolescent patients of participating PCCs who are represented in the administrative data sample. IUH employee participants and IUH clinicians from the participating primary care clinics will be invited directly by email using comprehensive clinic staff contact lists. Additionally, information will be shared on the intervention in large forum settings (e.g., regular provider/clinic meetings, etc.). For adolescent and youth patients, data will be collected from and patient-linked across PCC sites' electronic health records of PCCs participating in the project and Indiana Medicaid, including data from emergency medicine services (EMS) and emergency departments (ED). There will be no interaction between the research team and patients.

Detailed description of study

What will happen during the study?

During the first project phase, the research team will gather a Parent and Youth Advisory Board, Primary Care Provider Advisory Board, and Integrated Care Expert Panel (Aim 1) to inform the development and refinement of the primary care-based SUD interventions. The investigators will gather input from national experts, local stakeholders, and PCPs to refine our screening to treatment approach (Aim 2), coupled with stigma reduction activities, within pediatric primary care.

During the second project phase, researchers will assess the impact of SUD IBH on PCP behaviors around adolescent SUD intervention. The investigators will interview and survey PCPs, clinic managers, and other clinical staff for willingness to engage in adolescent SUD treatment. The investigators will evaluate implementation outcomes (views toward SUD, stigma attitudes, IBH team dynamics; Aim 3) and effectiveness/reach outcomes (delivery of integrated primary care-based SUD services, the use of brief interventions for adolescents, number of consultation calls, and increased treatment engagement; Aim 4a), along with an exploratory test of local overdose rates for youth (Aim 4b), in order to examine local effects of the new intervention.

Eligibility of study

You may be eligible for this study if you meet the following criteria:

  • Conditions: Opioid Use Disorder, OUD, Substance Use Disorder, SUD, RIley
  • Age: 12 years - 100 years
  • Gender: All

Inclusion criteria:

IU Health PCC Staff:

  • 1) member of participating PCC team
  • 2) at least 18 years old
  • 3) speaks and understands English. 

Clinicians Participating in the Game Changers Intervention: 

  • 1) primary care clinician (MD, DO, PA, NP, etc.) employed at a participating PCC
  • 2) at least 18 years old
  • 3) speaks and understands English 

Youth Patients Represented in Administrative Data: 

  • 1) patient at one of the participating PCCs
  • 2) 12-18 years old, inclusive.

Updated on 07 Feb 2025. Study ID: PSYC-IIR-WORKFORCE, 23208
Please visit our main page to search for other studies you may be interested in. If you need help finding a study or have any questions, please contact us at inhealth@iu.edu

Interested in the study?

Select a study center that’s convenient for you, and get in touch with the study team.

Contact a study center