Exploring the provider and organization level barriers to medication for opioid use disorder treatment for Black Americans: A study protocol

OBJECTIVES: This study seeks to examine the provider and organizational factors that could be limiting the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) for Black Americans in Texas. Formative research at the provider and organizational level will assist in understanding the current facilitators, potential barriers, and capacity for OUD treatment for Black Americans. STUDY DESIGN: Using the exploration phase of the Explore, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework, the project will be a formative assessment of local factors that influence Medication for OUD (MOUD) treatment availability for Black Americans to guide the design of a culturally and locally relevant multi-level intervention strategy. METHODS: and analysis: This project will utilize emergent mixed methods to identify and clarify the problems that are obstructing treatment for Black patients with OUD. First, the perspectives of individual providers in their openness and willingness to provide MOUD treatment to Black Americans diagnosed with OUD will be explored through in-depth interviews. The organizational capacity factors associated with increased availability to treatment for Black American OUD patients will be examined with the organizational leaders using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. Leader and program managers of organizations that provide MOUD will be invited to participate in an online survey, with the option to participate in a follow-up in-depth interview. All qualitative data from the provider and organization staff interviews will be analyzed with a thematic analysis approach. The analysis of the two different types of qualitative data will be analyzed together, as a form of triangulation. CONCLUSIONS: This project will assess the understandings of individual providers as well as the organizational-level awareness of the cultural contexts of MOUD intervention for Black Americans. This formative research seeks to highlight the current status of the opioid crisis in the Black community, and what additional supports are needed.