Rural Expanded Access to OUD Care & Linkage Using Toxicologists for Telehealth Initiated Treatment

Description

The overarching goal of this project is to increase the availability of OUD treatment in rural counties in the state of Georgia by using Emergency Department (ED)-based telehealth strategies to initiate MOUD and connect patients to treatment. The investigators will implement a novel collaboration between rural EDs, medical toxicologists at the Georgia Poison Center (GPC), peer recovery coaches (PRCs) and RCOs throughout Georgia to bridge the gap between OUD treatment need in rural EDs and specialty physician availability at the GPC. Research activities will be conducted during two broad phases, at three rural EDs in Georgia: planning and implementation. During the planning phase, aggregate data will be obtained to determine each ED's existing practices treating patients with OUD and opioid withdrawal. During the implementation phase, the researchers will prospectively study a poison center OUD consultation and PRC intervention as it is rolled out at each site, collecting participant-level data. Sites will be rolled into the implementation phase in a stepped-wedge fashion, so there will be times when some sites are in the planning phase while others are in the implementation phase.

Conditions

Opioid Use, Opioid Abuse

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

The overarching goal of this project is to increase the availability of OUD treatment in rural counties in the state of Georgia by using Emergency Department (ED)-based telehealth strategies to initiate MOUD and connect patients to treatment. The investigators will implement a novel collaboration between rural EDs, medical toxicologists at the Georgia Poison Center (GPC), peer recovery coaches (PRCs) and RCOs throughout Georgia to bridge the gap between OUD treatment need in rural EDs and specialty physician availability at the GPC. Research activities will be conducted during two broad phases, at three rural EDs in Georgia: planning and implementation. During the planning phase, aggregate data will be obtained to determine each ED's existing practices treating patients with OUD and opioid withdrawal. During the implementation phase, the researchers will prospectively study a poison center OUD consultation and PRC intervention as it is rolled out at each site, collecting participant-level data. Sites will be rolled into the implementation phase in a stepped-wedge fashion, so there will be times when some sites are in the planning phase while others are in the implementation phase.

Expanding Rural Access to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Utilizing Medical Toxicologists and the Georgia Poison Center to Facilitate Emergency Department- and Telehealth-Based Medication Initiation and Linkage to Care

Rural Expanded Access to OUD Care & Linkage Using Toxicologists for Telehealth Initiated Treatment

Condition
Opioid Use
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Atlanta

Georgia Poison Center, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30303

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Age 18 years or older
  • * English speaking
  • * Clinically sober
  • * Medically and psychiatrically stable
  • * Already receiving MAT or psychotherapy for OUD prior to ED arrival
  • * Prior participation in the study
  • * Unable to provide informed consent
  • * If their clinical condition worsens such that continued participation would be considered unsafe in the opinion of the PRC or ED staff
  • * Prisoners
  • * Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers)
  • * Cognitively impaired or Individuals with Impaired Decision-Making Capacity
  • * Individuals who are not able to clearly understand English

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

Emory University,

Emily Kiernan, DO, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Emory University

Study Record Dates

2026-08