Lack of Institutional Support May Drive Physician Reluctance to Address Addiction

WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Lack of institutional support is the most common reason for physicians to have reluctance to address substance use and addiction in their clinical practices, according to a review published online July 17 in JAMA Network Open.

Melinda Campopiano von Klimo, M.D., from JBS International Inc. in North Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to understand physician-reported reasons for reluctance to address substance use and addiction in their clinical practices through screening, treatment, harm reduction, or recovery support interventions.

Based upon 283 studies (66,732 physicians), the researchers found that alcohol, nicotine, and opioids were the most often studied substances, while screening and treatment were the most often studied interventions. Lack of institutional support (81.2 percent), knowledge (71.9 percent), skill (73.9 percent), and cognitive capacity (73.5 percent) were the most common reluctance reasons. Additionally, reimbursement concerns were also noted. These reasons varied by physician specialty, intervention type, and drug.

“These findings suggest effort should be directed at creating institutional environments that facilitate delivery of evidence-based addiction care while improving access to both education and training opportunities for physicians to practice necessary skills,” the authors write.

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