This data brief provides findings from the Maine baseline needs assessment, conducted in collaboration with the research staff at the University of Southern Maine\u27s Cutler Institute, and aimed to identify current and future substance use disorder (SUD) treatment needs and barriers in rural Maine. This data brief details practitioner-reported barriers to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment and beliefs about OUD treatment. From April to June of 2021, we conducted an online survey to practitioners and community stakeholders working in rural and non-rural counties. Practitioners included primary care providers, addiction medicine specialists, and other practitioners (e.g., obstetrics, emergency medicine). Respondents included 284 practitioners, 174 of whom reported working in areas designated as rural by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). We classified practitioners into one of three specialty groups based on their reported work setting, role, and specialty: 1) primary care practitioners (PCPs; n=131; 88 rural), 2) addiction medicine specialists (n=47; 29 rural), and 3) other practitioners (n=106; 57 rural). The “other” group captured practitioners in non-prescribing roles (e.g., nurse, counselor) as well as prescribing practitioners (e.g., MD, DO) working in settings or specialty areas other than primary care or addiction medicine (e.g., hospital medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, psychiatry)
