Telehealth can ease the stigma and barriers for people as they seek and enter treatment for drug addiction, a new study from Oregon Health & Science University found.
The study’s release comes as Oregon is grappling with a fentanyl addiction and poisoning crisis, with providers and counties planning new programs that emphasize treatment and recovery instead of jail time. More than 1,000 Oregonians died of opioid poisoning in 2023, an increase from 280 in 2019, according to Oregon Health Authority data.
The Portland Tribune and its sister publications use “poisoning” rather than “overdose” to describe fentanyl because the drug often is disguised as some other, more benign drug, and uses can take it without being aware of what it is.
The study, published recently in the Harm Reduction Journal , reached its findings based on interviews with 30 people treated for opioid use disorder at Oregon Health & Science University clinics between March 2020 and December 2021. They received their care through telehealth visits, which are conducted online instead of in person. They were treated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the federal government loosened restrictions and made it easier for providers to offer virtual visits.
The study, though small, offers a look at the role telehealth plays in their steps toward recovery from an addiction to fentanyl or other opioids like heroin and painkillers.
“You feel like you’re being watched or judged by everyone, and telehealth can reduce that sense whether it’s real or perceived,” said Dr. Ximena Levander, the study’s senior author and an assistant professor of general internal medicine and geriatrics in the OHSU School of Medicine. “Telehealth can lower that barrier.”
Less intimidating
The patients told researchers the telehealth setting gave them a greater sense of autonomy and control over their treatment. Some also said they felt safer and less intimidated without feeling the pressure of a clinic’s waiting room.
“I didn’t feel like it was as personal at first because you’re not there in-person sweating and talking,” said one participant quoted in the study. “I felt like it was easier to get through it, get started with the program in the first place.”
They also liked the flexibility, especially to avoid work schedule conflicts.
But not all of the 30 patients endorsed telehealth as the best option. Some study participants reported privacy concerns, particularly if they shared a house with roommates, family members or friends. For people with unstable housing and living in cramped quarters with others, that poses a challenge.
“If I’m in the clinic, then I know that only people that are there to do medical business are there, and aren’t gonna be standing outside the door, listening,” one study participant quoted in the report said.
Telehealth is here to stay, but providers still need to tailor treatment to the needs and situations of their patients, Levander said in an interview. Telehealth quickly started during the pandemic, but now providers can look for ways to refine it, especially because trust is gained through in-person visits.
“How can we build that trust and connection when we aren’t able to meet them in person?” Levander said. “And I think that that’s something that still needs to be worked on and studied. So I don’t think telehealth is going away. We’ve seen the benefits, particularly in rural areas, in reducing barriers to care. We also need to think about what’s the right balance of in-person versus virtual.”
Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and X , formerly known as Twitter.
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