Clinician Willingness to Prescribe Medications for Opioid Use Disorder to Adolescents in Indiana

Source:

Aalsma MC, Bell LA, Schwartz K, et al. Clinician Willingness to Prescribe Medications for Opioid Use Disorder to Adolescents in Indiana. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(9):e2435416. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.35416

Key Points

Question  Are clinician- and community-level characteristics associated with willingness to prescribe medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to adolescents among clinicians possessing a waiver to legally prescribe buprenorphine (ie, waivered clinicians)?

Findings  In this cross-sectional study of 832 waivered clinicians in Indiana, 91.2% reported unwillingness to prescribe MOUD to adolescents. Clinicians trained in family medicine and those serving in less populated communities were significantly more likely than others to prescribe to adolescents.

Meaning  These findings suggest that the average parent in Indiana would need to call 11 waivered clinicians to find 1 willing to prescribe MOUD to adolescents.