Provider perspectives on screening and treatment for opioid use disorder and mental health in HIV care: A qualitative study

• Published in: PloS one 2024-06, Vol.19 (6), p.e0305174
• Main Authors: Knettel, Brandon A, Chen, Hillary, Wilson, Elena, Agor, David, McKellar, Mehri S, Reif, Susan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Best practice; Biology and Life Sciences; Chronic illnesses; Chronic pain; Comorbidity; Drug abuse; Drug addiction; Drug overdose; Drug therapy; Female; Food security; Harm reduction; Health Personnel - psychology; HIV; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - psychology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Interviews; Male; Mass Screening; Medical diagnosis; Medical screening; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Mental health care; Middle Aged; Narcotics; North Carolina - epidemiology; Opioid-Related Disorders - psychology; Opioid-Related Disorders - therapy; Opioids; Qualitative Research; Risk factors; Social services; Software; Substance use; Substance use disorder; Training
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305174

HIV, opioid use disorder (OUD), and mental health challenges share multiple syndemic risk factors. Each can be effectively treated with routine outpatient appointments, medication management, and psychosocial support, leading implementers to consider integrated screening and treatment for OUD and mental health in HIV care. Provider perspectives are crucial to understanding barriers and strategies for treatment integration. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 21 HIV treatment providers and social services providers (12 individual interviews and 1 group interview with 9 participants) to understand the current landscape, goals, and priorities for integrated OUD, mental health, and HIV care. Providers were purposively recruited from known clinics in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, U.S.A. Data were analyzed using applied thematic analysis in the NVivo 12 software program and evaluated for inter-coder agreement. Participants viewed substance use and mental health challenges as prominent barriers to engagement in HIV care. However, few organizations have integrated structured screening for substance use and mental health into their standard of care. Even fewer screen for opioid use. Although medication assisted treatment (MAT) is effective for mitigating OUD, providers struggle to connect patients with MAT due to limited referral options, social barriers such as housing and food insecurity, overburdened staff, stigma, and lack of provider training. Providers believed there would be clear benefit to integrating OUD and mental health treatment in HIV care but lacked resources for implementation. Integration of screening and treatment for substance use and mental health in HIV care could mitigate many current barriers to treatment for all three conditions. Efforts are needed to train HIV providers to provide MAT, expand resources, and implement best practices.