Patient Perspectives on Offers of Buprenorphine in the Emergency Department

Abstract

Importance Buprenorphine reduces mortality in opioid use disorder (OUD), and emergency department–initiated buprenorphine (EDIB) doubles 30-day treatment retention, yet many patients decline EDIB when offered. Patient-driven factors limiting uptake are not well characterized. Objective To identify factors associated with patients accepting or declining EDIB. Design, Setting, and Participants Convergent parallel mixed-methods qualitative study conducted from May 1 to December 31, 2023, with data analyses performed from March 2025 to April 2026, at 4 emergency departments within the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) in South Carolina, Michigan, and Ohio. Adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with OUD who were offered buprenorphine by clinical staff were eligible; prisoners and patients concurrently enrolled in other CTN trials of OUD treatment or overdose prevention were excluded. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcomes were acceptance or declination of EDIB; validated measures of treatment readiness (Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Engagement Scale [SOCRATES]), cultural mistrust, perceived discrimination, and social needs; and qualitative interview themes regarding reasons for accepting or declining buprenorphine. Results Eighty-two participants completed the study (median [IQR] age, 38 [31-53.5] years; 52 male [64%]). Overall, 19 participants (23%) declined buprenorphine. Among 54 participants who described reasons for accepting EDIB, motivators for accepting EDIB included assistance with opioid withdrawal (37 [69%]), desire to be substance free (21 [39%]), wanting to return to a “normal life” (15 [28%]), fear of overdose or death (13 [24%]), and caring for children (7 [13%]). Among 22 participants who described reasons for declining EDIB, barriers included concern about precipitated withdrawal or adverse effects (11 [50%]), not wanting to be physically dependent on buprenorphine (7 [32%]), and housing and logistical barriers (5 [23%]). SOCRATES treatment readiness (1-5 scale) was similar in patients who accepted (mean [SD] score, 4.11 [0.55]) and declined (mean [SD] score, 4.05 [0.50]) EDIB. Conclusions and Relevance In this mixed-methods qualitative study of adult ED patients with OUD who were offered buprenorphine, declination was driven less by low treatment readiness than by specific, addressable concerns: precipitated withdrawal, physical dependence, and housing and logistical barriers. Targeted interventions addressing these concerns may increase uptake of this life-saving treatment.