Patients’ and Clinicians’ Experiences with In-person, Video, and Phone Modalities for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment: A Qualitative Study

Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic condition that requires regular visits and care continuity. Telehealth implementation has created multiple visit modalities for OUD care. There is limited knowledge of patients’ and clinicians’ perceptions and experiences related to multi-modality care and when different modalities might be best employed. Objective: To identify patients’ and clinicians’ experiences with multiple visit modalities for OUD treatment in primary care. Design: Comparative case study, using video- and telephone-based semi-structured interviews. Participants: Patients being treated for OUD (n = 19) and clinicians who provided OUD care (n = 15) from two primary care clinics within the same healthcare system. Approach: Using an inductive approach, interviews were analyzed to identify patients’ and clinicians’ experiences with receiving/delivering OUD care via different visit modalities. Clinicians’ and patients’ experiences were compared using a group analytical process. Key Results: Patients and clinicians valued having multiple modalities available for care, with flexibility identified as a key benefit. Patients highlighted the decreased burden of travel and less social anxiety with telehealth visits. Similarly, clinicians reported that telehealth decreased medical intrusion into the lives of patients stable in recovery. Patients and clinicians saw the value of in-person visits when establishing care and for patients needing additional support. In-person visits allowed the ability to conduct urine drug testing, and to foster relationships and trust building, which were more difficult, but not impossible via a telehealth visit. Patients preferred telephone over video visits, as these were more private and more convenient. Clinicians identified benefits of video, including being able to both hear and see the patient, but often deferred to patient preference. Conclusions: Considerations for utilization of visit modalities for OUD care were identified based on patients’ needs and preferences, which often changed over the course of treatment. Continued research is needed determine how visit modalities impact patient outcomes.