Patient-centered care's relationship with substance use disorder treatment utilization
Author Department
Medicine
Document Type
Article, Peer-reviewed
Publication Date
11-2020
Abstract
Background: Calls for more patient-centered care are growing in the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment field. However, evidence is sparse regarding whether patient-centered care improves access to, or utilization of, effective treatment services.
Methods: Using nationally representative survey data from SUD treatment clinics in the United States, we examine the association between patient-centered clinical care and the utilization of six services: methadone, buprenorphine, behavioral treatment, routine medical care, HIV testing, and suicide prevention counseling. We measured clinics' practice of and emphasis on patient-centered care with two variables: (1) whether the clinic regularly invites patients into clinical decision-making processes, and (2) whether supervisors believe in patient-centered healthcare and shared decision-making practices within their clinics.
Results: In 2017, only 23% of SUD treatment clinics regularly invited patients into care decision-making meetings when their cases were discussed. A composite variable captured clinical supervisors' own experience with and expectations for patient-clinician interaction within their clinics (Cronbach's alpha = 0.79). Results from regression models that controlled for several organizational and environmental factors show that patient-centered care was independently associated with greater utilization of four of six evidence-based services.
Conclusions: A minority of SUD clinics practice patient-centered healthcare in the United States. Given the connection to evidence-based services, increasing participatory mechanisms in SUD treatment service provision can facilitate patients' access to appropriate and evidence-based services.
Keywords: Co-production; Patient-centered care; Service utilization; Substance use disorder treatment.
Recommended Citation
Park SE, Mosley JE, Grogan CM, Pollack HA, Humphreys K, D'Aunno T, Friedmann PD. Patient-centered care's relationship with substance use disorder treatment utilization. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2020 Nov;118:108125. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108125. Epub 2020 Sep 3. PMID: 32972650.
PMID
32972650