Barriers to Buprenorphine Initiation in Patients Using Fentanyl

How frequently do clinicians encounter problems initiating buprenorphine among patients using fentanyl, and how are their clinical practices changing?In this survey study, the majority of 396 clinicians surveyed (72.0%) reported encountering problems initiating buprenorphine treatment among patients using fentanyl in the past year, and 67.3% reported modifying their standard induction protocols.These findings suggest that clinicians across the US are experiencing challenges initiating buprenorphine treatment, and many may be changing their clinical practices to circumvent these problems.

Corresponding Author: Sarah Kawasaki, MD, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Dr, H073, Hershey, PA 17033 (skawasaki@pennstatehealth.psu.edu).

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