Opioid Use
In the mid-2000s, in response to the significant number of post-9/11 Veterans reporting pain, VA clinicians prescribed opioids as a front-line pain treatment. By 2012, nearly one-fourth of all patients receiving VA outpatient care were also prescribed opioids for pain. This widespread use—combined with the growing medical consensus that this class of drugs is not effective for long-term pain management, and also carries risks of opioid use disorder (OUD), addiction, or overdose—prompted VA to launch its Opioid Safety Initiative in 2013.
HSR researchers look for ways to identify Veterans at risk for opioid use disorder; reduce the harms associated with opioid use and misuse; promote and evaluate the effectiveness of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD); study non-opioid and non-drug alternatives to pain care; and examine the integration of OUD treatment with other medical and mental health care.
Each section below is populated by a search of the HSR website. Search results are generated based on the search term "Opioid Use" . Results are updated as new data are available.
VIEW: Citations | Publication Briefs | Studies | HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters | Cyberseminars | Videos | Podcasts | Other Resources
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Citations
(recent OPIOID USE publications)
- Hayes CJ, Raciborski RA, Acharya M, Noor NB, Nunes EV, Winhusen TJ. Evaluating the optimal duration of medication treatment for opioid use disorder. Addiction (Abingdon, England). 2026 Jan 7 DOI: 10.1111/add.70211.
- Roy PJ, Colvin R, Nickel KB, Ross RK, Durkin MJ, Suda KJ, Atkinson A, Butler AM. Impact of study design decisions on identification of treatment initiators of medications for opioid use disorder. Addiction (Abingdon, England). 2025 Dec 14 DOI: 10.1111/add.70288.
- Borsari B, Baxley C, Ladd BO, Delacruz J, Jackson KM, Fetterling T, Self KJ, Hassanbeigi Daryani S, Seal KH, Manuel JK. Adaptation of the Motivational Interviewing Skills Code to Identify Client Language Predicting Reduced Opioid Use Risk and Increased Use of Alternative Pain Care Strategies in Veterans. Methods and protocols. 2025 Dec 8; 8(6):DOI: 10.3390/mps8060149.
- Smith JJ, Noonan M, Johnson CE, Humphreys K, Gupta R. Potential health impacts of comprehensive access to opioid use disorder treatment in United States correctional facilities: A synthetic analysis. Addiction (Abingdon, England). 2025 Nov 3 DOI: 10.1111/add.70170.
- Mayrer BM, Sabol RM, Shuey B, Roy PJ, Suda KJ, Park TW, Anderson TS. Trends in Initiation of Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder Among Older Adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2025 Oct 25 DOI: 10.1111/jgs.70182.
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Publication Briefs
(recent OPIOID USE Publication Briefs )
- Absence of Brief Intervention Following Positive Alcohol Screen Associated with Increased Opioid-Related Risks within a Year
This study used electronic health record data to examine the association between primary care-delivered alcohol-related brief intervention (BI) and new opioid prescriptions, new opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnosis, or new opioid-related hospitalization in Veterans one year after a positive screen for alcohol use. Findings showed that 13% of Veterans in the sample screened positive for unhealthy al...
Date: May 1, 2024
- VA Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder was Maintained During the COVID Pandemic Through Rapid Shift to Telehealth
At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, key federal policy changes were implemented to decrease barriers to telehealth-delivery of buprenorphine, a life-saving medication treatment for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). This study examined the impact of these COVID-19 policies on buprenorphine treatment across different modalities (telephone, video, and in-person visits). Findings showed tha...
Date: July 28, 2022
- High Virologic Cure Rates for Hepatitis C Virus among Veterans with Opioid Use Disorder Treated with Elbasvir/Grazoprevir
Elbasvir (EBR)/grazoprevir (GZR) is a fixed-dose combination treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV). This study sought to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of EBR/GZR among Veterans with HCV genotype (GT) 1 who also had a diagnosis of opioid use disorder (OUD). Findings showed that high rates of virologic cure were achieved among VA patients with HCV, OUD, and multiple comorbidities, including ...
Date: January 25, 2022
- Veterans Do Not Always Receive Appropriate Continuation of OUD Medications During Surgical Hospitalizations
This study sought to describe practice patterns of perioperative buprenorphine use within VA – and patient outcomes up to 12 months following surgery. Findings showed that the majority of VA surgical patients in this study who received buprenorphine for opioid use disorder experienced a dose hold at some point during the perioperative period despite a trend in clinical guidelines recommending bupr...
Date: September 20, 2021
- Veterans Receiving Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder Have Lower Risk of Suicide/Overdose Mortality
This study sought to determine the association between buprenorphine pharmacotherapy and suicide, overdose, and all-cause mortality among Veterans initiating buprenorphine within VA. Findings showed that Veterans who were not receiving buprenorphine pharmacotherapy on any given day had more than a four-fold increase in suicide/overdose death compared to those who received buprenorphine, even when ...
Date: May 19, 2021
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Studies
(recent OPIOID USE projects
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| Project No. |
Title |
PI |
Funding End |
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CDA 23-145
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Patient-Centered Informatics for Chronic Pain Management |
Griffin, Ashley |
2030-03-31 |
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CDA 21-209
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Patient-centered Quality Measurement for Opioid Use Disorder |
Kelley, Alan |
2029-07-31 |
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IIR 22-204
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Surveillance of Modifiable Social Determinants of Health for Prioritizing Wraparound Supports |
Yu, Hong |
2028-06-30 |
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POU 23-001
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EVOLVE: Emulated trial of the VOice study for improving pain and reducing Long-term opioid use for VEterans |
Edmond, Sara |
2028-04-30 |
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IIR 22-217
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Predictors and Processes of Early Buprenorphine Discontinuation |
Wyse, Jessica |
2028-03-31 |
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HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters
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Videos
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Podcasts
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