Talking about buprenorphine and methadone to start opioid treatment
Official title: Conversations can save lives: TALKing About Buprenorphine & methadone for Opioid Use Treatment Initiation (TALK ABOUT)
Funded at Baystate Medical Center, INC. · NIH-11161482 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project helps people with opioid use disorder in the emergency department start lifesaving medications like buprenorphine or methadone by improving conversations about treatment options.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baystate Medical Center, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Springfield, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $79,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R34DA058199-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11161482 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with opioid use disorder who present to the emergency department and are open to discussing medication options such as buprenorphine or methadone.
✕Less likely to help
People without opioid use disorder, those not seen in participating emergency departments, or those already stably engaged in medication treatment may not benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You would be offered a clearer, shared conversation with emergency department clinicians about buprenorphine and methadone as options for opioid treatment. Researchers will develop and pilot communication tools and decision-making guides to help clinicians invite patients into choosing the treatment that fits them. The work will take place in the emergency department and track whether more people leave with a plan for medication and whether they are still in treatment after 30 days. Feedback from patients and clinicians will be used to refine the tools so they can be used more widely if effective.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more people with opioid use disorder may start and stay on medications that reduce overdose risk and improve survival.
How similar studies have gone: Previous programs that start buprenorphine in the ED have increased 30-day treatment retention and shared decision-making has improved patient engagement in other areas, so this approach builds on promising prior work.
Where this research is happening
-
Baystate Medical Center, INC.
Springfield, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schoenfeld, Elizabeth Mae — Baystate Medical Center, INC.
- Study coordinator: Schoenfeld, Elizabeth Mae
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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.