Researchers analyzed a trial involving 361 primary care clinicians across 92 clinics. The study looked at how an electronic health record tool, called Opioid Wizard, affected how doctors felt about managing opioid use disorder (OUD) compared to standard care.
Clinicians using the tool reported significantly higher confidence in screening patients, diagnosing them with OUD, and referring them for care. However, the tool did not increase clinician confidence specifically regarding the treatment of patients with buprenorphine. While 80% of users felt the tool made their tasks easier and 70% felt it was a good use of their time, only 44% of those users were likely to recommend it to their colleagues.
Because this is a secondary analysis of an original trial, the results are useful but should be viewed as one piece of evidence. The study shows that while the digital tool helps doctors feel more capable in certain areas of opioid management, it did not change their confidence regarding specific medications or lead to high levels of enthusiasm for the tool overall.
