There is a strong need for expanded opioid addiction treatment, such as with the use of Buprenorphine, which was recently approved for treatment in a qualified physician's office. This should allow for expanded treatment access to people addicted to heroin. However, there is a risk that too heavy a reliance on medication alone, without counseling and relapse prevention skill building, will lead to high rates of relapse to heroin use. The goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive and innovative system that will guide physicians in administering Buprenorphine, emphasizing a collaborative approach with nurses who will provide online counseling to the patients. The proposed system will include the following components, which will be developed in Phase I:-Online course for nurses focusing on issues of providing support services to patients on Buprenorphine and working collaboratively with physicians in this process. Online counseling system for patients that will provide support, answer questions and topics such as relapse prevention. This system can be accessed with a home computer or with a phone. Protocols for physicians and nurses on how to work collaboratively when administering Buprenorphine and providing online counseling. For this project, we have put together an outstanding team of organizations who are in a unique position to develop and test the proposed system: Danya International (expertise in online courses), Rapid Improvements (expertise in online counseling) and the University Of Maryland School Of Nursing. During phase I, we will conduct 2 pilot studies to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the online course and online counseling system. The second pilot study will also test the design and procedures of the proposed full scale evaluation; we will conduct during phase II. The products that will be developed have high commercial potential. ? ?
