As the opioid use disorder (OUD) patient begins the journey to recovery, creating the best and most effective continuum of care can be a matter of life or death.
Relapse rates in OUD patients post-detoxification are higher than any other drug, with 88% relapsing after 12 to 36 months.
As each OUD patient has a unique history of opioid use including the time span of use, the quantity of use, and any predisposition to addiction, a treatment plan must be customized to be effective. Implementing a continuum of care for the OUD patient ensures treatment is given at the level needed and can be adjusted based on the patient’s progress.
The 5 Levels of Substance Use Disorder Care
The American Society of Addiction Medicine outlines 5 broad levels in a substance use disorder patient’s continuum of care, which are further broken down into sub-levels that can address not only OUD but co-occurring conditions as well.
Level 0.5, Early Intervention Services: At this point in the patient’s journey, there is not enough information available for a formal OUD diagnosis.
Level I, Outpatient Services: The OUD patient may not need, or may no longer need, more intensive forms of therapy or medical treatment and receives no more than 9 hours of counseling a week, typically in a group setting.
Level II, Intensive Outpatient/Partial Hospitalization Services: Patients receiving this level of care will be enrolled in outpatient treatment more than 9 hours a week or up to 20+ hours a week if partial hospitalization is needed.
Level III, Residental/Inpatient Services: OUD patients live in a treatment facility 24 hours a day. The type of care varies per sub-level; some patients may only receive counseling at this level, others may still receive medication-assisted therapy (MAT).
Level IV, Medically Managed Inpatient Services: This level of care treats the most severe and unstable cases, with patients receiving nursing care 24 hours a day and treatment from a physician during the day.
The first critical step in assisting the OUD patient along this continuum of care is treating early withdrawal symptoms, for which S.T. Genesis provides a breakthrough solution.
S.T. Genesis: Care On Many Levels
S.T. Genesis is a Percutaneous Nerve Field Stimulator (PNFS) device that provides deep neural stimulation to the brain through the cutaneous branches on the ear. The utilization of the vagus and trigeminal nerves has been shown to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms.
The device may be effectively used as the first step of the OUD patient’s continuum of care, typically for levels II through IV, and alleviates withdrawal symptoms for the first 120-hour period of opioid withdrawal. When implemented in the OUD patient’s continuum of care, S.T. Genesis is a short-term solution to early withdrawal symptoms that can have a long-lasting impact on the patient’s journey in recovery.