July 15, 2024

A total of 61.4% of Americans are unaware that primary care physicians (PCPs) can prescribe medications for opioid use disorder, according to the results from a national survey. Furthermore, 13.3% incorrectly believed that PCPs cannot prescribe medications for opioid use disorder at all. However, nearly 77.0% of respondents believe that the office of a PCP should be a place where people can receive treatment for an opioid use disorder: 24.2% strongly agreed with this statement, and 52.8% agreed with this statement. 

A full 81.3% of the people who reported ever misusing prescription or illicit opioids expressed comfort in going to their PCP for medications for opioid use disorder. Among those who had not misused opioids, 73.9% said they would be comfortable referring their loved ones to primary care for these medications. 

These findings were reported in “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Primary Care” by Brandon del Pozo, Ph.D., MPA, MA; Ju Nyeong Park, Ph.D., MHS; Bruce G. Taylor, Ph.D.; and colleagues. In collaboration with National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the researchers added these questions to a survey conducted in English and Spanish by the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN), led by NIDA and supported through The NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (NIH HEAL) Initiative. JCOIN researchers administered this survey in June 2023, targeting a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18 and older. The goal was to determine whether public health factors may impede access to these medications. 

The full text of “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Primary Care” was published June 28, 2024, by JAMA Network Open.