Social ecological factors and medication treatment for opioid use disorder among justice-involved rural and urban persons: the Geographic variation in Addiction Treatment Experiences (GATE) longitudinal cohort study protocol

INTRODUCTION: Three medications are Food and Drug Administration approved for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD); however, these medications are underused within prisons, which elevates the risk of relapse and overdose when persons with opioid use disorder (POUD) are released. Research is scant regarding the multilevel factors associated with POUDs’ willingness to initiate medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) while in prison and their continued engagement in treatment after release. Furthermore, rural and urban populations have not been compared. The Geographic variation in Addiction Treatment Experiences (GATE) study seeks to identify multilevel factors (ie, individual, personal network, and structural factors) influencing prison-based extended-release injectable naltrexone (XR-NTX) and buprenorphine initiation and will examine predictors of postrelease MOUD use and adverse outcomes (ie, relapse, overdose, recidivism) among both rural and urban POUDs. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This mixed methods study employs a social ecological framework. A prospective observational longitudinal cohort study is being conducted with 450 POUDs using survey and social network data collected in prison, immediately postrelease, 6 months postrelease and 12 months postrelease to identify multilevel rural-urban variation in key outcomes. In-depth qualitative interviews are being conducted with POUDs, prison-based treatment staff and social service clinicians. To maximise rigour and reproducibility, we employ a concurrent triangulation strategy, whereby qualitative and quantitative data contribute equally to the analysis and are used for cross-validation when examining scientific aims. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The GATE study was reviewed and approved by the University of Kentucky’s Institutional Review Board prior to implementation. Findings will be disseminated through presentations at scientific and professional association conferences, peer-reviewed journal publications and a summary aggregate report submitted to the Kentucky Department of Corrections.