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PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Oregon researchers have found that telehealth appointments could be a more effective tool in treating addiction and battling the opioid epidemic.
According to a study recently published in the Harm Reduction Journal , some people who struggle with addiction feel that telehealth services offer more autonomy than in-person appointments. Co-authors also said online appointments have the potential to reduce the stigma around substance abuse.
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Several respondents told researchers they were concerned with the risk of running into someone they know during in-person appointments.
“I was connected to pretty important people for what I was doing.…I just didn’t wanna run into anyone in there, that was a stigma to me,” one participant said.
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OHSU researchers discovered that the prominence of telehealth has the potential to improve access to appointments and patient retention, while dropping overdose rates among those who received treatment.
Some other respondents, especially those who reside in “congregant settings where others might see or hear their virtual visit,” said they prefer in-person services.
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Participants were 40.5 years old on average. About 77% were white, and 33% reported they had experienced homelessness in the past six months.
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