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35th AM (2025) - Poster Session
Impact of Time from Referral to Bridge Clinic on C ...
Impact of Time from Referral to Bridge Clinic on Continuity of Care for Patients with OUD
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Pdf Summary
This study evaluated how the time interval between referral and the first visit to a bridge clinic affects linkage to ongoing opioid use disorder (OUD) care. OUD impacts over 6 million Americans and led to over 80,000 overdose deaths in 2022. Medications like buprenorphine reduce morbidity and mortality, and bridge clinics offer low-barrier access and continuity for such treatments. While earlier post-discharge appointments for buprenorphine increase follow-up rates, it was unclear if quicker access to no-appointment-needed bridge clinics similarly improves linkage to care.<br /><br />Researchers conducted a retrospective chart analysis over two years within a county hospital network, including 183 patients referred and attending at least one bridge clinic visit. "Linkage to care" was defined as receiving a non-bridge clinic buprenorphine prescription within 120 days of referral; shorter times to linkage were considered better outcomes.<br /><br />Using logistic regression, the study assessed the relationship between time from referral to first bridge clinic visit and subsequent linkage to care. Among linked patients, Spearman’s rank correlation evaluated the association between time to first bridge visit and time from last bridge visit to linkage. Subgroup analysis by homelessness status employed bootstrapping with 10,000 samples to handle smaller subsample sizes.<br /><br />Findings suggest shorter duration from referral to initial bridge clinic visit is associated with higher probability and quicker linkage to ongoing buprenorphine treatment. This relationship was particularly examined concerning homelessness, revealing differences in correlation strength between homeless and non-homeless groups. Overall, the study supports facilitating earlier access to bridge clinics post-referral to improve treatment continuity and outcomes in OUD patients.
Keywords
opioid use disorder
bridge clinic
buprenorphine
linkage to care
referral time interval
treatment continuity
homelessness
retrospective chart analysis
logistic regression
overdose deaths
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