Buprenorphine and Integrated HIV Care Evaluation

Programs that integrate medical care and drug treatment have shown great promise in improving health and substance use related outcomes. The overlap in the epidemics of HIV (with its complex medical needs) and drug abuse makes HIV-infected drug users a population likely to benefit from the integration of primary care and drug treatment. The Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 and the approval of buprenorphine for the office-based treatment of opioid addiction provide a new opportunity to integrate addiction treatment and medical care for people with HIV. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of buprenorphine in reducing illicit drug use among opioid dependent people. However, little is known about implementing such programs in HIV care settings, their cost, what effect they have on the health outcomes and substance use behavior of PLWH/A, or their broader impact on providers, institutions, and local systems.

Through this study, approximately 1,350 HIV-infected individuals who meet criteria for opioid dependence will be selected by eleven model demonstration projects located in ten HIV care centers across the U.S. Information on patients’ drug use, HIV health status, service utilization, quality of life, and satisfaction with services as well as information about providers’ practices and attitudes towards treating drug dependent patients will be collected through face-to-face interviews, audio computer-assisted self-interviewing, written surveys, and chart abstractions. These data will be used to help replicate effective programs that integrated HIV care and drug treatment and to improve the care of HIV-infected opioid dependent individuals.

Comparisons: All eleven programs will compare a group of patients who receive integrated buprenorphine treatment and HIV care to a group of patients who receive an alternate intervention. However, the program designs and comparison group interventions vary across the sites and are locally determined. Some sites will implement randomized control designs, while others will use observational methods.