Thread by @UREssien

Thrilled to share my first VA paper (and first visual abstract!) with my all-star @vaequity @PittGIM mentor team, on racial and ethnic differences in the medical treatment of opioid use disorder within the VA following a non-fatal opioid overdose. 1/n

link.springer.com/article/10.100…

@vaequity @PittGIM Prior studies (@LarochelleMarc et al.) showed that opioid prescribing and the use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUDs) remains low, even after a non-fatal overdose. Further, a recent paper by @PoojaLagisetty showed racial disparities in MOUD. 2/n
jamanetwork.com/journals/jamap…

@vaequity @PittGIM @LarochelleMarc @PoojaLagisetty In our study we examined patients managed in the VA to assess whether race/ethnicity was associated with:

1) opioid prescribing before and after a non-fatal opioid overdose and,

2) receipt of MOUD (i.e., buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone) following opioid overdose. 3/n

@vaequity @PittGIM @LarochelleMarc @PoojaLagisetty After overdose:
1) frequency of receiving opioids was reduced by 18.3, 16.4, and 20.6 % in whites, blacks, and Hispanics (not statistically significant).
2) few received MOUDs (2.9% white, 4.6% black, and 5.5% Hispanic). Black and Hispanic patients had higher odds of receipt. 4/n

@vaequity @PittGIM @LarochelleMarc @PoojaLagisetty Understanding some of the factors associated with this seemingly paradoxical racial difference in prescribing (e.g., rurality, bias/stigma, access to care) will be important for ensuring equitable care for all patients during the critical time period of an opioid overdose. 5/n

@vaequity @PittGIM @LarochelleMarc @PoojaLagisetty Thanks again to a wonderful team of collaborators on this study: @liebschutz @TomRadomskiMD @Leshausmann @CBGood23 @maizenblueheels. 🙏🏿

Special thanks to @walidgellad, whose leadership in this space is making a difference in how we care for Veterans with opioid use disorder. 6/6