Patients' perceptions of telehealth services for outpatient treatment of substance use disorders during the COVID‐19 pandemic

• Published in: The American Journal on Addictions 2021-09, Vol.30 (5), p.445-452
• Main Authors: Sugarman, Dawn E., Busch, Alisa B., McHugh, R. Kathryn, Bogunovic, Olivera J., Trinh, Catherine D., Weiss, Roger D., Greenfield, Shelly F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Regular; Telemedicine
• ISSN: 1055-0496; 1521-0391
• DOI: 10.1111/ajad.13207

Background and Objectives The rapid scale‐up of telehealth services for substance use disorders (SUDs) during the COVID‐19 pandemic presented a unique opportunity to investigate patient experiences with telehealth. This study examined patient perceptions of telehealth in an outpatient SUD treatment program offering individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management. Methods Two hundred and seventy adults receiving SUD outpatient treatment were eligible to complete a 23‐item online survey distributed by clinicians; 58 patients completed/partially completed the survey. Data were summarized with descriptive statistics. Results Participants were predominately male, White, and well‐educated. The majority (86.2%) were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the quality of telehealth care. “Very satisfied” ratings were highest for individual therapy (90%), followed by medication management (75%) and group therapy (58%). Top reasons for liking telehealth included the ability to do it from home (90%) and not needing to spend time commuting (83%). Top reasons for disliking telehealth were not connecting as well with other members in group therapy (28%) and the ability for telehealth to be interrupted at home or work (26%). Discussion and Conclusions Telehealth visits were a satisfactory treatment modality for most respondents receiving outpatient SUD care, especially those engaging in individual therapy. Challenges remain for telehealth group therapy. Scientific Significance This is the first study examining patients' perceptions of telehealth for outpatient SUD treatment during the COVID‐19 pandemic by treatment service type. Importantly, while many participants found telehealth more accessible than in‐person treatment, there was variability with respect to the preferred mode of treatment delivery.