Examining the Primary Care Experience of Patients with Opioid Use Disorder: a Qualitative Study

Examining the Primary Care Experience of Patients with Opioid Use Disorder: a Qualitative Study

Published: July/August 2023

Journal Article

Overview

This one-hour, on-demand, journal article-based activity explores patient perspectives and priorities regarding receiving care for OUD in primary care settings.    

As noted by the authors, much of the prior research has examined barriers that PCPs face in integrating OUD treatment in their practice, but few studies have evaluated patient perspectives and priorities. This qualitative study interviewed patient about their experiences with primary care-based OUD treatment, explored how these experiences differed from their experiences with specialty clinics for MOUD care and discusses ways in which the primary care environment may be optimized to improve the overall health of patients with OUD.

The target audience for this intermediate activity includes physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other clinicians, researchers and academics, residents, fellows, students and counselors and policymakers.

This activity addresses the following ACGME Competencies: Patient Care and Procedural Skills, Medical Knowledge, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism, and Systems-Based Practice.

Article Abstract

Objectives: Despite substantial investment in expanding access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), overdose deaths continue to increase. Primary care holds enormous potential to expand access to OUD treatment, but few patients receive medications for OUD (MOUD) in primary care. Understanding both patient and clinician experiences is critical to expanding access to patient-centered MOUD care, yet relatively little research has examined patient perspectives on primary-care based MOUD. We sought to examine the care experiences of patients with OUD receiving medication-based treatment in a primary care setting.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with patients receiving MOUD at a single primary care site at the University of Utah. Interviews were performed and transcribed by qualitative researchers, who employed rapid qualitative analysis using a grounded theory-based approach to identify key themes pertaining to patient experiences receiving medication-based OUD treatment in primary care.

Results: 21 patients were screened, and 14 completed the interview. In general, participants had numerous medical and psychiatric co-morbidities. Five key themes pertaining to primary care-based OUD treatment were identified: 1) overall health improvement, 2) team-based care, 3) comparing primary care to specialty addiction treatment, 4) access to medications for OUD, and 5) discrimination and stigma.

Conclusions: Patients reported many advantages to receiving primary care-based MOUD treatment. In particular, the flexibility and added support of team-based care along with the convenience of receiving addiction treatment alongside regular medical care were highly valued. These findings can be used to develop patient-centered initiatives aimed at expanding OUD treatment within primary care.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, learners will be able to:

1. Explain the key findings regarding patient perceptions regarding receiving medication-based treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in a primary care setting over alternative settings as recounted in patient interviews in this qualitative study. 

Registration Rates

*Residents, Fellows-in-training, Interns, and Students must join ASAM to receive a discounted registration rate. Click here to become an ASAM member. National and Chapter membership dues apply. There is no charge for Students to become a Member, but verification of student status is required.

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Refunds & Cancellations

All ASAM eLearning Center refund requests must be made in writing to education@asam.org within 90 days of purchase. Those requesting refunds for courses that are in progress will receive partial refunds or eLearning Center credit. Automatic full refunds will be made for any course with a live-course component that has been cancelled.

Registration Deadline: 07/03/2026

User Access Closed Date: 08/03/2026

Course Instructions

1. Click on the Contents tab to begin this activity.
2. Click View Journal Article and read the journal article in its entirety. 
3. Click Complete Post Test to answer multiple choice questions. Participants will have 10 attempts to pass and must answer 2 out of 3 questions correctly.
4. Click Complete Evaluation to provide valuable activity feedback. Scroll down on all questions as there may be answer options that expand past the size of the window.
5. Click the button Claim Medical Credits in the box titled Claim Credits & Certificate. Choose the type of credit and click submit. Click the button View/Print Certificate to save or print your certificate. You can view/print your certificate at any time by visiting the ASAM eLearning Center, clicking Dashboard, and clicking Transcript/Achievements.

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CME, CE, CEU and Other Credit Types

ACCME Accreditation Statement
The American Society of Addiction Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement
The American Society of Addiction Medicine designates this journal-based CME for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

National Board for Certified Counselors ACEP
The American Society of Addiction Medicine has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7062. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The American Society of Addiction Medicine is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

California Association for Drug/Alcohol Educators (CAADE)
This educational program is approved by CAADE: #CP40 999 1225.

California Association of DUI Treatment Centers (CADTP)
This educational program is approved by CADTP: #205.

California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP)
This educational program is approved by CCAPP: #OS-20-330-1224.

Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)
Non-physician participants will receive a certificate of attendance upon completion of the activity and an online evaluation confirming their participation. Participants should submit his/her certificate of attendance to their professional organization/institute.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) or Continuing Certification Programs (CCP)

American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM)
The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) has approved this activity for a maximum of 1 credit towards ABPM MOC Part II requirements.

American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)
This activity contributes to the CME component of the American Board of Anesthesiology’s redesigned Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology TM (MOCA®) program, known as MOCA 2.0®.

American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the activity, with individual assessments of the participant and feedback to the participant, enables the participant to earn a maximum of 1 MOC point in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.

American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1 Medical Knowledge MOC point in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credits.

American Board of Surgery (ABS)
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME and/or Self-Assessment requirements of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)
Successful completion of this CME activity can be used to satisfy the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology’s (ABPN) CME requirement for Maintenance of Certification program. 

American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM)
Successful completion of this activity can be used to satisfy the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) Tmoc credit requirements.

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
Royal College Fellows can use participation in Accredited Continuing Medical Education to earn Section 3 Credits.

Disclosure Information

In accordance with disclosure policies of ASAM and the ACCME, the effort is made to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all CME/CE activities. These policies include mitigating all possible relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for the Planning Committees and Presenters. All activity Planning Committee members and Faculty have disclosed relevant financial relationship information. 

The Journal of Addiction Medicine has reviewed these disclosures and determined that the relationships are not inappropriate in the context of their respective presentations and are not inconsistent with the educational goals and integrity of the activity.