Preliminary survey of office-based opioid treatment practices and attitudes among psychiatrists never receiving buprenorphine training to those who received training during residency.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the characteristics, attitudes, and current prescribing practices of recently graduating psychiatrists who completed buprenorphine training during residency to those who never completed any training.
METHODS: A total of 359 psychiatrists completing residency training between 2008 and 2011 were recruited to complete an on-line survey.
RESULTS: Responses from 93 psychiatrists were included for a response rate of 25.9%. Psychiatrists completing any buprenorphine training during residency were more likely to be male and report more favorable views of OBOT with buprenorphine than compared to those who never completed any training. Twenty (38.5%) of those psychiatrists who completed training during residency reported the current prescribing of buprenorphine.
CONCLUSIONS: Completion of buprenorphine training during residency may be a factor in shaping future attitudes towards OBOT and buprenorphine prescribing practices. Further research is needed to clarify the impact of buprenorphine training during residency. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Buprenorphine training during residency training may be a contributing factor in shaping future physician attitudes towards office-based opioid treatment and buprenorphine prescribing practices. © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.