2019-2020 FIU-RCMI Pilot Grants Awarded

by | Nov 15, 2019 | RCMI News

The 2019-2020 FIU-RCMI Pilot Grants have been awarded! Over the next couple of months, we will be highlighting the recipients and their projects.

Examining barriers to accessing medication-assisted treatment among women with opioid use disorder: A mixed-methods pilot study

PI: Melissa Ward-Peterson, PhD, MPH
Postdoctoral Associate, Community-Based Research Institute

The opioid epidemic is a national public health emergency; more than 130 Americans die daily from an opioid overdose and national projections suggest the death toll may reach half a million lives over the next decade. Women are more likely to experience chronic pain and are therefore prescribed opioids more frequently compared to men, creating a gateway to opioid dependence. Because women are more likely to be primary caregivers, the impact of opioid use disorder (OUD) among women extends to their families and children. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is recognized as the gold standard for treating OUD, but access is not equitable and the NIH has noted the importance of gender-specific strategies to improve access to MAT for women with OUD. The objective of this study is to conduct a rigorous mixed methods analysis of the key factors determining women’s access to MAT to inform the development of an intervention that engages both clinical and community partners in reducing barriers to care. Methods will include in-depth interviews with women who have OUD, as well as with healthcare providers and social workers. Additionally, areas where women are most in need of MAT services will be identified from EMS data based on the locations of opioid overdoses, and community-level factors associated with the availability of MAT facilities in these areas will be examined. Dr. Ward-Peterson’s project was recently featured in FIU News.

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