Developing a remotely delivered intensive outpatient program adapted for hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder: A qualitative study

Introduction Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) who inject drugs have an elevated risk of experiencing serious injection-related infections. While such infections can be treated, treatment for the underlying OUD is often limited. One potential strategy for more intensive addiction treatment is to offer a remotely delivered intensive outpatient program (IOP), adapted from an existing remote IOP (“Smart IOP”). We aimed to conduct a qualitative study to gather feedback on Smart IOP and identify adaptations needed for hospitalized patients. Methods Individuals with OUD and a history of serious injection-related infections completed a semi-structured interview and were shown samples of the videos and program content. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded to conduct a thematic analysis. Results Seventeen individuals participated. The mean age was 40.8 years and 70.6% were men. Participants reported that IOP during the hospitalization would have been helpful to their recovery. The themes that emerged were the importance of medications for OUD, having a relapse prevention plan, engaging with a recovery coach, and ensuring treatment linkage post-discharge. Other themes included the recognition of the severity of one’s illness and the emotional experiences related to the hospitalization. Conclusions Participants expressed the value of an IOP during hospitalization and provided insights into the support needed while hospitalized. The tailored IOP is now being developed and will undergo a pilot feasibility trial.