AUTHOR=Leung Jonathan G. , Narayanan Prasanna P. , Markota Matej , Miller Nathaniel E. , Philbrick Kemuel L. , Burton M. Caroline , Kirchoff Robert W. TITLE=Assessing Naltrexone Prescribing and Barriers to Initiation for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Multidisciplinary, Multisite Survey JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.856938 DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.856938 ISSN=1664-0640 ABSTRACT=Objective

To survey barriers in prescribing naltrexone for alcohol use disorder.

Methods

A 12-question survey related to naltrexone prescribing patterns, perceptions, and knowledge was sent to 770 prescribers in the departments of internal medicine, family medicine, and psychiatry across a health system with sites in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota.

Results

Responses were obtained and included for 146/770 prescribers (19.0% response rate). Most respondents were in the department of internal medicine (n = 94, 64.4%), but the departments of psychiatry (n = 22, 15.1%) and family medicine (n = 30, 20.5%) were also represented. Only 34 (23.3%) respondents indicated they had prescribed naltrexone in the previous 3 months. The most common reasons for not prescribing naltrexone were “unfamiliarity with naltrexone for treatment of alcohol use disorder” and “patients do not have appropriate follow-up or are not in a formal treatment program.” Compared with those representing internal/family medicine, psychiatry respondents were more likely to prescribe naltrexone and answer knowledge questions correctly.

Conclusion

In this survey among primarily non-addiction-trained prescribers, a disparity was shown for prescribing naltrexone and in knowledge barriers between staff in internal/family medicine and psychiatry. There exist opportunities for education and quality improvement that promote the prescribing of naltrexone for alcohol use disorder by non-addiction specialists.