Physician Reluctance to Intervene in Addiction: A Systematic Review


Question  What reasons do physicians give for not addressing substance use and addiction in their clinical practice?

Findings  In this systematic review of 283 articles, the institutional environment (81.2% of articles) was the most common reason given for physicians not intervening in addiction, followed by lack of skill (73.9%), cognitive capacity (73.5%), and knowledge (71.9%).

Meaning  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.

JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(7):e2420837. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.20837

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2821497 

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