The Patient's Guide to Buvidal: A Service Improvement of a Digital Repository of Patient Information for Patients Taking Buvidal in Wales

AIMS: Buvidal is being used with patients with opioid dependence. Only 35% of patients read the paper patient information leaflet, which could be improved by condensing the information, making it accessible and relevant. Therefore, the aim was to create a series of informative videos answering important questions for patients taking Buvidal and then evaluate their perceived efficacy. METHODS: Data were collected from a questionnaire taken by patients taking Buvidal and healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in Substance Misuse Psychiatry in Wales. The results and preferences were analysed and the information was used to create 5 videos addressing the questions the participants thought were the most important. A second questionnaire was sent out alongside the videos to the original participants to gauge their utility. The Patient's Guide to Buvidal can be accessed on YouTube: shorturl.at/afjl3. RESULTS: All participants reported that the videos would be useful in answering their questions about Buvidal. Participants ranked the use of Buvidal, the effect of comorbidities and other substances on taking Buvidal and side effects as the most important topics to be covered in the videos. Understanding and confidence increased in a mean of 80% of the topic areas discussed. HCPs reported an increase in 9 out of the 12 topic areas, whereas patients reported an increase in 7. There was no statistically significant difference between prescriber and patient confidence (t(22) = 0.197, p=0.05). 100% of the participants stated they enjoyed the videos and preferred them to the patient information leaflet. CONCLUSION: The digital repository could be a valuable addition to the holistic care of patients taking Buvidal to improve their understanding of important questions and topic areas. The use of one long video using YouTube's bookmark feature may be preferred by patients to easily navigate the videos. In the future, new medications and routes may benefit from videos like this targeted at HCPs as well.