Psychiatr News November 4, 2005
Volume 40, Number 21, page 39
© 2005 American Psychiatric Association
Buprenorphine Issues
Adegboyega Oyemade, M.D.
Albany, N.Y.
Buprenorphine Issues
Adegboyega Oyemade, M.D.
Albany, N.Y.
The two articles on buprenorphine treatment in the September 2 issue
announced encouraging developments.
The article "Law Raises Patient Limits on Buprenorphine"
reported the lifting of the cap of 30 patients who can receive buprenorphine
treatment in a group practice at one time. The second article, "Support
Offered for Buprenorphine Use," announced that the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration, in collaboration with the American
Society of Addiction Medicine, has introduced a support system for physicians
who provide buprenorphine treatment.
I believe that a lot can be done to increase the awareness, knowledge, and
competency of psychiatry residents with regard to buprenorphine treatment.
Just recently WHO, for the first time, added both buprenorphine and methadone
to the Model List of Essential Medicines.
APA and other psychiatric/addiction medicine organizations, in
collaboration with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
and psychiatry residency programs, should take steps in encouraging the
adoption of office-based buprenorphine training as a competency requirement
for residents. The integrative model of dual-diagnosis treatment is seen as
the most ideal and effective, and now that buprenorphine treatment is office
based, I believe that competency in using this medication should be a
requirement.
Deborah Hales, M.D., director of APA's Division of Education and Career Development, responds:
APA fully supports buprenorphine-treatment training for psychiatry
residents. As a first step to that end, APA's Council on Medical Education and
Lifelong Learning recently voted to offer APA's buprenorphine course free to
members-in-training (that is, residents who are APA members). We are now
investigating the technology needed to make that happen. I will report further
developments on the course and buprenorphine training for residents in a
future issue.
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