Outcomes of DATA 2000 certification trainings for the provision of buprenorphine treatment in the Veterans Health Administration.
Despite the high numbers of veterans with opioid dependence, few receive pharmacologic treatment for this disorder. The adoption of buprenorphine treatment within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has been slow. To expand capacity for buprenorphine treatment, the VHA sponsored two eight-hour credentialing courses for the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000. We sought to describe the outcomes of such training. Following the training sessions, 29 participants (18 physicians) were highly satisfied with course content and affirmed their intention to prescribe buprenorphine; after nine-month follow-up, two physicians were prescribing. We conclude that providing credentialing courses, while popular, did not markedly promote the prescription of buprenorphine.
Gordon
Adam J
AJ
Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206, USA. adam.gordon@va.gov
Liberto
Joseph
J
Granda
Stephanie
S
Salmon-Cox
Sara
S
Andree
Tykia
T
McNicholas
Laura
L
D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002568:Certification; D004493:Education; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006281:Health Occupations / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans
D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D002047:Buprenorphine