Skip to main content

Lack of Institutional Support May Drive Physician Reluctance to Address Addiction

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on July 24, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 -- Lack of institutional support is the most common reason for physicians to have reluctance to address substance use and addiction in their clinical practices, according to a review published online July 17 in JAMA Network Open.

Melinda Campopiano von Klimo, M.D., from JBS International Inc. in North Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to understand physician-reported reasons for reluctance to address substance use and addiction in their clinical practices through screening, treatment, harm reduction, or recovery support interventions.

Based upon 283 studies (66,732 physicians), the researchers found that alcohol, nicotine, and opioids were the most often studied substances, while screening and treatment were the most often studied interventions. Lack of institutional support (81.2 percent), knowledge (71.9 percent), skill (73.9 percent), and cognitive capacity (73.5 percent) were the most common reluctance reasons. Additionally, reimbursement concerns were also noted. These reasons varied by physician specialty, intervention type, and drug.

"These findings suggest effort should be directed at creating institutional environments that facilitate delivery of evidence-based addiction care while improving access to both education and training opportunities for physicians to practice necessary skills," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted July 2024

Read this next

Increased Substance Use With Direct, Indirect Exposure to Mass Terrorism

FRIDAY, July 26, 2024 -- For adults, increased substance use (ISU) is seen in populations with direct, indirect, and media exposure to mass terrorism, according to a study...

Declines Seen in Medical, Nonmedical Use of Prescription Meds Among Teens

THURSDAY, July 25, 2024 -- U.S adolescents reported declines in medical use and nonmedical use (NMU) of prescription stimulants, opioids, and benzodiazepines from 2009 to 2022...

Study Looks at Co-Use of CYP2D6-Metabolizing Opioids, Antidepressants in Seniors

MONDAY, July 22, 2024 -- For older nursing home (NH) residents, use of CYP2D6-metabolized opioids concomitantly with CYP2D6-inhibiting antidepressants is associated with worsening...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.