Treating Withdrawal and Pain in Inpatients With Opioid Use Disorder: A Brief Educational Intervention for Internal Medicine Residents

Abstract

Introduction: Despite the effectiveness of opioid agonist therapy (OAT) for treating patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), insufficient education remains a barrier to prescribing. Internal medicine (IM) residents are optimally positioned to facilitate use of OAT, especially in the inpatient setting. We implemented an educational intervention aimed at increasing IM residents' knowledge and confidence regarding prescribing OAT to inpatients with OUD. Methods: < .05 indicating significance. Results: s < .001). Discussion: A brief, generalizable, educational intervention significantly increased residents' knowledge of and confidence in prescribing OAT in inpatients with OUD.