Skip to content

Buprenorphine Integration Research and Community Health

Integrating Addiction and Infectious Diseases Services Into Primary Care in Rural Settings

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05668780
Acronym
BIRCH
Enrollment
20
Registered
2022-12-30
Start date
2023-01-24
Completion date
2027-05-31
Last updated
2025-04-17

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Opioid Use Disorder, HIV Infections, Hepatitis C

Keywords

Implementation Science, HIV, Medication for Opioid Use Disorder, PrEP, Hepatitis C, Nominal Group Technique

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate an intervention strategy in introducing screen/evaluate/treat (SET) procedures for HIV/ hepatitis C/ and Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care Clinics in West Virginia. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What are the barriers and facilitators to integrating evidence based practices for screening and treatment of HIV, hepatitis C, and Opioid Use Disorder into primary care clinics in West Virginia? * To assess the extent to which our SET processes are achieved through enhanced EHR tools, NIATx (formerly known as Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment) facilitation and Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO)-supported collaborative learning? * Does implementing these services improve primary and secondary health outcomes for patients? Primary Care Clinics will participate in training and process improvement coaching to integrate these services. Using a step-wise design, 20 Primary Care Clinics will undergo the training and coaching in four groups of five clinics.

Detailed description

To integrate HIV/HCV/ OUD services into Primary Care Clinics (PCC), the investigators will introduce screen/evaluate/treat (SET) procedures for HIV/hepatitis C (HCV)/ Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in PCCs in rural WV where ECHO and WV Hepatitis Academic Mentoring Partnership (WVHAMP) will support clinical skills for Primary Care Provider (PCPs) and where NIATx process improvement tools will be used to guide adoption and scale-up of SET procedures to achieve integration. Using a step-wedge design with 20 PCCs, the investigators will conduct a Type 3 Hybrid implementation trial and examine the extent to which our SET processes are achieved through enhanced electronic health record (EHR) tools, NIATx facilitation and ECHO and WVHAMP collaborative learning. Implementation outcomes include adoption of screening and treating with three distinct but linked evidence based practices (EBPs) for OUD, HIV and HCV in PCCs. Effectiveness outcomes will include quality health indicators (QHIs) for primary care, HIV, HCV and OUD. This project is separated into two Phases. Phase 1 includes Nominal Group Technique focus groups and anonymous staff surveys at the 20 PCCs to identify barriers and facilitators to integrating these evidence based practices. Phase 2 is an evaluation of deidentified reports from the PCCs Electronic Health Records. In Phase 2, randomized sites will start NIATx activities, including a series of rapid-cycle Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) activities. The first 6 months will include intensive coaching from a certified NIATx coach and enhanced by support from ECHO & the WVHAMP to teach subspecialty clinical expertise. During an 18-month follow-up, the investigators will assess the sustainability of these practice changes. Effectiveness outcomes will include a set of nationally recommended quality health indicators (QHIs) to measure quality care. This project is a collaboration between Yale University, West Virginia University (WVU), and the West Virginia Primary Care Association. Aim 1 (Phase 1): Identify the barriers and facilitators for a diverse group of PCCs throughout WV, a mostly rural state that is profoundly impacted by OUD-associated HIV/HCV outbreaks, focusing on screening for and prescribing evidence-based treatment \[medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), Treatment as Prevention (TasP), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and curative hepatitis C (HCV) treatment\] for OUD, HIV and HCV. Aim 2 (Phase 2): Using a step-wedge design with 20 PCCs, the investigators will conduct a Type 3 hybrid implementation trial using the Integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (iPARiHS) framework to assess the extent to which our SET processes are achieved through enhanced EHR tools, NIATx facilitation and ECHO-supported collaborative learning. Implementation outcomes include adoption of screening and implementation of three distinct but linked EBPs for OUD, HIV and HCV in PCCs. Effectiveness outcomes will include quality health indicators (QHIs) for primary care, HIV, HCV and OUD.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALNIATx Coaching

The intervention will consist of: 1. a Nominal Group Technique session to identify priorities in integrating HIV/HCV/MOUD 2. rapid cycle improvement coaching sessions from a NIATx coach, using data dashboards and screening alerts to improve identification and treatment for HIV/HCV/OUD 3. training for primary care providers

Sponsors

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
CollaboratorNIH
West Virginia University
CollaboratorOTHER
Yale University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Using a step-wedge design with 20 PCCs, the investigators will conduct a Type 3 Hybrid implementation trial

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

\- Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Look-Alike FQHC Primary Care Clinics in West Virginia providing adult care

Exclusion criteria

* Clinics (private or specialty) or any clinics not in West Virginia

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of patients prescribed PrEP18 monthsFor those with a negative HIV result, prescription medication for PrEP; medication type; prescription dates; lab orders
Number of patients screened for opioid use disorder (OUD)18 monthsScreening result for opioid use disorder documented in electronic health record (EHR)
Number of patients initiated on medications for OUD18 monthsPrescription medication for OUD; prescription dates, medication type
Number of patients screened for HIV18 monthsLab ordered and result for HIV test entered in EHR
Number of patients initiated on antiretroviral medication (ART) for HIV18 monthsFor those with a positive HIV test result, prescription medication for HIV; prescription dates
Number of patients screened for Hepatitis C (HCV)18 monthsLab result ordered for HCV antibody / reflex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), result entered in EHR
Number of patients initiated on medication for HCV18 monthsFor those with a positive HCV PCR test, documented in EHR prescription medication for HCV; prescription dates; fibrosis score
Organizational Readiness and Staff Attitudes towards integration of OUD, HIV, HCV services into primary care clinicsEvery 6 months for 24 monthsStaff survey results on organizational capacity, readiness to change, organizational functioning and social dominance orientation, and resistance to change.
Integration of services24 monthsAdoption of screening and implementation of best evidence-based practices. Quality health indicators (QHIs) for primary care - OUD, HIV & HCV documented in electronic health record data.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of patients retained on medication for OUD for at least 6 months6 monthsFor those with prescription for medication for OUD; documentation in EHR of repeated prescription orders
Number of patients retained on medication (ART) for HIV12 monthsFor those with new prescription for medication for HIV; documentation in EHR of repeated prescriptions up to 6 and 12 months
Number of patients with Viral Suppression for HIV12 monthsFor those with new HIV diagnosis; documentation in EHR of viral suppression defined as HIV RNA \<200 copies/µl, at 6 and 12 months after prescription
Number of patients on PrEP to prevent HIV12 monthsDocumentation of negative HIV labs in EHR every 3 months
Quality Health Indicator (QHI) score for Primary Care screening variables18 monthsQHI-PC score based on documentation of screening (limited age/sex) for hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, HIV, HCV, hepatitis B (HBV), syphilis, cervical cancer, breast cancers, prostate cancer, herpes simplex virus (HSV) serology, latent tuberculosis (TB), colorectal cancer, depression, chlamydia, gonorrhea.
Number of patients with sustained viral response for HCV18 monthsFor those with HCV medication prescription; Viral load results in EHR after recommended treatment

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026