Evaluation of Patient-Centered Tool for Measuring Opioid Addiction Recovery

Vermont has expanded access to medication assisted treatment (MAT) since the onset of the opiate epidemic. This has included the use of family medicine clinicians as waivered prescribers of buprenorphine. In the absence of clear expectations or knowledge of discontinuation and detox, patients and providers must now reframe the traditional understanding of addiction recovery success as simply abstinence, maintenance medication detox, and survivorship. A 20-question, interactive “POWERS Form” has been developed by Stowe’s MAT team as part of routine counseling and clinical visits. Tracking score changes with patients allows reflection on the broader life changes during recovery process. This activity can perhaps challenge harmful perceptions of pharmacotherapy and destigmatize patients\u27 potential need for long term or indefinite bupenorphine treatment. This project began the process of evaluation and validation of this questionnaire and analyzed its preliminary results.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1418/thumbnail.jp