Jail and treatment staff attitudes regarding MOUDs before and after an implementation intervention

Abstract

Jails are often the first point of assessment after arrest. This structural position provides an early opportunity to document and treat opioid use disorder (OUD). This paper describes the findings of the Building Bridges Planning Initiative, a project which prepared jail staff and their community treatment partners for the implementation and/or expansion of the use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUDs) in 16 different jurisdictions across the U.S. From August 2019 through April 2020, 123 staff participants from 16 different counties in the U.S. completed surveys at baseline and again at one-year follow-up for staff still engaged in the project documenting changes in knowledge about, and the perceived helpfulness of, six different MOUDs. Participants were predominantly female (61%), averaged 49 years of age (SD = 11), and worked in jail (60%). Bivariate and multivariate results suggest that respondents’ perceived knowledge of/helpfulness of all MOUDs increased from baseline to follow-up, though findings for naltrexone-based MOUDs were mixed, with only depot naltrexone demonstrating significant increases in perceived helpfulness. Findings presented here suggest that over the course of the intervention, familiarity with and attitudes about MOUDs improved among individuals working within treatment centers and individuals working within correctional facilities.