Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, 4250 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; University of Michigan Injury Center, University of Michigan Medical School, 2800 Plymouth Rd., Bldg. 10, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Prescription opioid overdose is a significant public health problem. Interventions to prevent overdose risk behaviors among high-risk patients are lacking. This study examined the impact of a motivational intervention to reduce opioid misuse and overdose risk behaviors.
METHODS: This study was a pilot randomized controlled trial set in a single emergency department (ED) in which, 204 adult, English-speaking patients seeking care who reported prescription opioid misuse during the prior 3 months were recruited. Patients were randomized to either the intervention, a 30-minute motivational interviewing-based session delivered by a therapist plus educational enhanced usual care (EUC), or EUC alone. Participants completed self-reported surveys at baseline and 6 months post-baseline (87% retention rate) to measure the primary outcomes of overdose risk behaviors and the secondary outcome of non-medical opioid use.
FINDINGS: Participants in the intervention condition reported significantly lower levels of overdose risk behaviors (incidence rate ratio [IRR]=0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87; 40.5% reduction in mean vs. 14.7%) and lower levels of non-medical opioid use (IRR=0.81, 95% CI: 0.70-0.92; 50.0% reduction in mean vs. 39.5%) at follow-up compared to the EUC condition.
CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the first clinical trial of a behavioral intervention to reduce overdose risk.
RESULTS indicate that this single motivational enhancement session reduced prescription opioid overdose risk behaviors, including opioid misuse, among adult patients in the ED.