Health and Economic Outcomes of Offering Buprenorphine in Homeless Shelters in Massachusetts.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Overdose is the leading cause of death among people experiencing homelessness (PEH), but engagement in medication treatment is low in this population. Shelter-based buprenorphine may be a strategy for increasing initiation and retention on lifesaving medications.

Objective

To estimate clinical outcomes and conduct an economic analysis of statewide shelter-based opioid treatment in Massachusetts.

Design, setting, and participants

This economic evaluation study in Massachusetts used a cohort state-transition simulation model. Two cohorts were modeled starting in 2013, including (1) a closed cohort of a fixed population of PEH with history of high-risk opioid use over their lifetimes and (2) an open cohort in which membership could change over time, allowing a

SUBMITTER: Chatterjee A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11581564 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature