Doctors reluctant to treat addiction most commonly report 'lack of institutional support' as barrier

Published July 18, 2024 | Originally published on MedicalXpress Breaking News-and-Events

A new study has identified the top reasons why some physicians may be reluctant to intervene in addiction. The comprehensive review, pulling 283 studies published on this topic within the last 61 years, showed that "institutional environment" was the reason most frequently reported in these studies.
"Institutional environment" refers to factors like lack of support from a physician's institution or employer; insufficient resources, such as staff and training; challenges in organizational culture; and competing demands. This reason was cited in 81% of the studies reviewed, followed by insufficient skill (74%), lack of cognitive capacity to manage a certain level of care (74%), and inadequate knowledge (72%).
Around 66% of studies cited negative social influences—or beliefs about public and community acceptance of addiction care—while 56% of studies cited fear of harming the patient-physician relationship as deterrents for physicians to intervene in addiction.
These may represent the manifestation of stigma associated with substance use disorder, the authors say. Reimbursement concerns for the cost of delivering addiction interventions were also observed.
The study's findings point to the need for institution-wide changes to improve the adoption of evidence-based substance use disorder treatment practices among physicians. These changes include increasing organizational support, leadership and staff buy-in, and education and training.
The study, titled "Physician Reluctance to Intervene in Addiction: A Systematic Review" and published in JAMA Network Open, was led by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health.
"People with substance use disorders must be able to access compassionate and evidence-based care at any touchpoint they have with a health care provider," said Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Director of NIDA.

​TO CONTINUE: https://www.mdlinx.com/news/doctors-reluctant-to-treat-addiction-most-commonly-report-lack-of-institutional-support-as-barrier/3lEMhZeaywZL8F0cVcQGgJ