Abstract
This paper describes the current legislative authority that permits office-based prescribing of buprenorphine products for the pharmacological treatment of opioid addiction by physicians with certain qualifications. It outlines ways prescribers can improve the quality of care, ensure safety, prevent diversion and abuse of the medications, and improve treatment outcomes. It advances the concept of enabling advanced practice nurses with prescriptive authority (nurse practitioners) to prescribe buprenorphine products for the treatment of opioid addiction, so as to improve access to this treatment and reduce the treatment capacity gap.