Breaking barriers to opioid use disorder care

A team including Maggie Lowenstein of the Perelman School of Medicine and Shoshana Aronowitz of the School of Nursing interviewed patients and identified three facilitators for a low-barrier treatment model for opioid use disorder.

  • Low-barrier treatment is a “medication first” strategy for opioid use disorder care.
  • We interviewed participants in one low-barrier model to explore patient perspectives.
  • Participants valued flexible program structure and support for social needs.
  • Harm reduction approach increased comfort with treatment initiation.
  • Climate of respect, empathy, and autonomy were also key facilitators.