Bringing opioid use treatment for teens into primary care clinics
Workforce and System Change to Treat Adolescent Opioid Use Disorder within Integrated Pediatric Primary Care
This project trains and supports pediatric primary care teams to find and treat teens who use opioids so they can get medications like buprenorphine and counseling at their regular clinic.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Indiana University Indianapolis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Indianapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11177017 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a parent's and teen's perspective, researchers will work with pediatric primary care clinics to add screening, training, and resources so clinicians can identify youth with substance use or occasional opioid exposure. Clinics will get support to offer medications (including buprenorphine when appropriate), behavioral health care, and case management in an integrated team model. The team will gather feedback from families, clinicians, and community partners and track how the new care approach is used and accepted. Over several years the project will refine the model to make it easier for more clinics to offer teen-focused SUD/OUD care.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Teens and young people who use opioids or other substances, or who have concerns about substance use and receive care at participating pediatric primary care clinics, are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who do not get care at participating clinics, need inpatient or specialty addiction services beyond primary care, or live outside participating regions may not get direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, teens could get faster, easier access to lifesaving treatment and counseling in their usual pediatric clinic, reducing overdose risk.
How similar studies have performed: Integrated primary care approaches have helped adults with opioid use disorder, but applying and testing these models specifically for adolescents is newer and less proven.
Where this research is happening
Indianapolis, United States
- Indiana University Indianapolis — Indianapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hulvershorn, Leslie a. — Indiana University Indianapolis
- Study coordinator: Hulvershorn, Leslie a.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.