Utilization of Telepsychiatry to Combat the Opioid Crisis in the United States

Introduction: In the past five years, the United States (U.S.) has experienced an unprecedented epidemic of opioid misuse, abuse and overdose related death, leading to a national public health crisis. Telepsychiatry along with medication-assisted treatment has been proposed as a viable solution. The purpose of this research was to examine the field of telepsychiatry as a practical means to combat the rapidly increasing opioid epidemic facing America and to determine the effect of telepsychiatry utilization on access to treatment received in an outpatient medical setting. Methodology: The methodology for this study was a literature review including the use of the PRISMA approach. Five electronic databases and five websites were utilized. Twenty-one total sources were carefully selected and referenced. Results: This literature review examined several studies pertaining to the utilization of telepsychiatry for opioid addiction treatment. After analyzing research on access and quality of telepsychiatry, the results have shown that telepsychiatry along with medication-assisted treatment has been shown to increase access to opioid addiction treatment while maintaining quality care for patients. Discussion/Conclusion: Telepsychiatry has been shown to have a positive impact on the way opioid addiction treatment has been delivered. Benefits of increased access and quality of treatment are further discussed