“I think we're getting better but we're still not there”: Provider-based stigma and perceived barriers to care for people who use opioids (PWUO)

Abstract

BackgroundDespite significant efforts to improve access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), uptake remains low relative to the scope of the problem in the United States. A growing body of quantitative and qualitative research has documented consistent barriers to MOUD treatment access and retention, at the level of individuals, institutions, and society at large. Stigma - surrounding both people who use opioids (PWUO) and treatment using MOUD – is among the most-cited barriers by patients and providers alike, yet few studies have examined provider-based stigma specifically, or considered its interaction with other impediments to OUD care. MethodsThis paper employs a qualitative approach to the analysis of provider-based stigma among professionals involved in the treatment or supervision of individuals with OUD. We conducted and analyzed interviews with 19 professionals as part of a larger mixed methods study on stigma among substance use treatment providers and court personnel in Pennsylvania. Beyond capturing providers' perceptions of PWUO and MOUD, the authors asked participants to describe barriers to recovery, and the effective delivery of care within this population. ResultsInterviewees enumerated multiple entrenched barriers that sometimes operated at different levels, such as criminal-legal involvement, which weakened PWUO's social networks and employment prospects, while undermining providers' attempts at continuity of care; moreover, participants cited the “War on Drugs” as an overarching impediment to effective substance use treatment, not least for its role in perpetuating stigma against PWUO. ConclusionsInterestingly, while an overwhelming majority of participants named stigma as a barrier to treatment at every level, most also articulated stigmatizing beliefs around PWUO. Namely, providers evoked one element of stigma – blameworthiness – in their contention that many PWUO are inadequately motivated to recover. In addition to adding further complexity to MOUD barriers research, this study troubles the notion that professional training and education on the disease model of addiction serve to eradicate stigma.