Recently Published Study Reveals a Big Gap in Medical Detox
Medical detox programs are an integral part of comprehensive behavioral health. We help hospitals and clinics establish and maintain medical detox programs in a safe and effective environment. Given our experience with medical detox, we are always on the lookout for information that will allow us to continue providing excellence to the partners we work with.. Enter a recently published study revealing a big gap in medical detox across America.
What is that gap? Access to a medication known as buprenorphine. You might already be familiar with this medication if your hospital or clinic includes it as part of a medical detox program. If not, there is no better time to learn about buprenorphine than now.
Most Clinics Do Not Offer It
The previously mentioned study, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was designed to measure how frequently medical detox clinics utilize buprenorphine in their rehab programs. Researchers enlisted the help of volunteers posing as parents of teens with addiction problems to contact some 300 clinics to ask about services.
When all was said and done, the data from 160 clinics was included. The remaining 140 either did not provide adolescent services, did not answer inquiries, or could not be contacted due to incorrect phone numbers.
Among the 160 that did offer teen services, only 39% offered buprenorphine as a medical treatment. This, despite the fact that there is overwhelming evidence suggesting that it can help prevent overdose deaths. One particular study published in 2021 even went so far as to recommend buprenorphine to help treat adolescent opioid use disorder.
The Medical Approach Is Still Questioned
The authors of the more recent study concede in their report that the medical approach to addiction treatment is still questioned by medical professionals and clinics around the country. Medical detox is still not the de facto standard, nor is it clear that it will ever be.
Nonetheless, there are individuals and organizations within the addiction treatment industry who firmly believe in medical detox. They believe medical detox should be among the options given to both patients and their caregivers.
New and Existing Programs
We do not take a position one way or the other on the appropriateness of medical detox for a given patient. That is for clinicians, patients, and caregivers to decide. But we do believe in offering the best mental health services possible. To that end, we work with hospitals to establish new medical detox programs and enhance existing ones.
We offer medical and clinical behavioral health expertise perfectly suited to establishing and maintaining successful medical detox programs. We assist by way of program assessments, evaluations, and the development of clinical best practices.
We do what we do because we believe treating substance abuse is a matter of critical importance. Every five minutes, someone in this country overdoses. Our healthcare system spends more than $12 billion annually treating substance abuse and related problems. And still, an estimated 90% of those who need treatment are not getting it.
Let’s Work Together for Your Patients
Treating substance abuse is something we are passionate about. Whether patients are adolescents or adults, helping them overcome substance abuse is the first step to helping them get their lives back on track. We believe it should be a high priority of every healthcare facility that offers behavioral health services.
If you are looking to enhance a current medical detox program or establish something new, we can help. Let us work together for the benefit of your patients. With our expertise and your commitment to quality care, it is possible to make a real difference with safe and effective medical detox programs.