title: Clinician beliefs and attitudes about buprenorphine/naloxone diversion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Concern about diversion of buprenorphine/naloxone (B/N) in the United States may affect prescribing patterns and policy decisions. This study examines addiction treatment clinician beliefs and attitudes regarding B/N diversion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (n = 369) completed a 34-item survey in 2010 during two national symposia on opioid dependence. We conducted multivariable regression, examining the relationship of perceived danger from B/N diversion with clinician characteristics and their beliefs about B/N treatment and diversion. We compared causal beliefs about diversion among clinicians with and without B/N treatment experience.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty percent of clinicians believed that B/N diversion is a dangerous problem. The belief that B/N diversion increases accidental overdoses in the community was strongly associated with perceived danger from B/N diversion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attitudes and beliefs, not education level, were associated with clinician's perceived danger from B/N diversion. Clinicians with greater B/N patient experience were more likely to believe treatment access barriers are the major cause of B/N diversion.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard/MGH Center for Addiction Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Zev
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Schuman-Olivier
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Connery
authors.forename: Margaret L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.forename: Steve A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wyatt
authors.forename: Alan A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Wartenberg
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Borodovsky
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Renner
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002047:Buprenorphine; D000069479:Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug Combination; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009270:Naloxone; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D064226:Prescription Drug Diversion; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000069479:Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug Combination; D009270:Naloxone; D002047:Buprenorphine