Satisfaction with group-based appointments among patients with opioid use disorder in an urban buprenorphine clinic

Abstract

Background: Successful implementation of group-based appointments can increase capacity to treat patients, reduce costs, and improve productivity. We sought to understand the acceptability of group-based appointments for opioid use disorder (OUD) in an urban clinical setting that treats predominantly ethnic minority populations. Methods: A survey collecting data on demographics, substance use, co-morbid psychiatric conditions, and satisfaction with group-based opioid treatment (GBOT) was conducted among patients 18 years and older with OUD attending an urban buprenorphine clinic between December 2019 and February 2020. Results: Thirty-nine patient surveys were completed. Among participants, 64.1% identified as Black/African American and 76.9% identified as male. The mean age was 51.2 years. Participants reported overall high levels of satisfaction with group-based appointments though GBOT was not strongly preferred over individual visits. On a 5-point Likert scale, 69.2% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that their medical needs were met during group-based appointments. A majority of participants agreed or strongly agreed that medical information received from the clinical team (97.4%) and other patients (82.1%) were valuable. Most participants (82.1%) reported adherence to treatment plans became easier since attending GBOT. Age and self-identified employment status as disabled or retired were positively associated with total satisfaction scores. Conclusions: Patients in a predominantly Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx community with co-occurring mental health disorders and other substance use reported overall satisfaction with GBOT and would recommend this modality to other patients.

Keywords:

• Opioid use disorder
• buprenorphine
• patient satisfaction
• group-based opioid treatment
• group-based appointments

Acknowledgments

We thank the patients and staff at the CARE Center who made this study possible (alphabetically listed): Judith Barley, Peter Belasco, Clement Chen, Reyna Dowling, Robert Marsessa, Raynice McKnight, Asia Reeves, Zena Sparrow, Joshua Taffet, Rochelle Turner, and Sherry Williams. We would also like to acknowledge Dr. Marianne Sumego and her colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic for use of their internal survey for the basis of our study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

SA, AN, and EZ conceived of the study design. SA, KL, and SR performed the data collection. SA and AN performed data analysis and took the lead in writing this manuscript. All authors, SA, AN, KL, SR, and EZ, provided critical feedback and contributed to the writing of the manuscript.