Lack of Institutional Support May Drive Physician Reluctance to Address Addiction
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 -- Lack of institutional support is the most common reason for physicians to have reluctance to address substance use and addiction in their clinical practices, according to a review published online July 17 in JAMA Network Open.
Melinda Campopiano von Klimo, M.D., from JBS International Inc. in North Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to understand physician-reported reasons for reluctance to address substance use and addiction in their clinical practices through screening, treatment, harm reduction, or recovery support interventions.
Based upon 283 studies (66,732 physicians), the researchers found that alcohol, nicotine, and opioids were the most often studied substances, while screening and treatment were the most often studied interventions. Lack of institutional support (81.2 percent), knowledge (71.9 percent), skill (73.9 percent), and cognitive capacity (73.5 percent) were the most common reluctance reasons. Additionally, reimbursement concerns were also noted. These reasons varied by physician specialty, intervention type, and drug.
"These findings suggest effort should be directed at creating institutional environments that facilitate delivery of evidence-based addiction care while improving access to both education and training opportunities for physicians to practice necessary skills," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2024
Read this next
Half of Youth-Serving Clinicians Screen for Substance Use Disorder at Every Well Visit
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Just over half of youth-serving clinicians report that they routinely screen adolescents for substance use disorders (SUDs) at every well visit...
Previous Estimates of Illicit Opioid Use in the United States Underreported
WEDNESDAY, May 14, 2025 -- Illicit opioid use may be higher than previously reported in the United States, according to a study published online May 9 in JAMA Health...
Rates of Fentanyl Nonfatal Overdose ED Visits Rose Through Third Quarter of 2023
WEDNESDAY, May 14, 2025 -- From 2020 to 2023, there was an increase in the rates of fentanyl-involved nonfatal overdose emergency department visits, according to research...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.