# Developing and Pilot Testing a Decision Aid for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment with Incarcerated Individuals Anticipating Release

> **NIH NIH K23** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $98,680

## Abstract

This application seeks five years for a physician-scientist to emerge as an independent patient-centered
decision science researcher in the intersection of substance use disorders and infectious diseases, especially
within criminal justice populations. The application proposes a combination of carefully timed coursework and
related research projects that will be supervised by leading experts in decision science and patient
preferences, addiction medicine, criminal justice, biostatistics and HIV prevention. The candidate has chosen
to focus on an incredibly vulnerable time for people with or at risk for HIV – the transitional period after release
from incarceration. This is especially timely given the volatile opioid epidemic that has fueled excessive opioid-
related overdoses and transmission of HIV and HCV. The risk for complications from opioid use disorder are
especially heightened during the transition from prisons and jails; 52% of all overdose mortality in Connecticut
occurred in recently released prisoners. Treating opioid use disorder in prisoners and maintaining after release
from prison is one of the most effective strategies to address the negative consequences of the opioid
epidemic. For prisoners with opioid use disorder, however, they are often overly-optimistic that they no longer
need treatment or have insufficient information to guide their selection of available treatments. Decision aids
are evidence-based strategies to more effectively engage patients (and providers) in their treatment. Decision
aids for other conditions and settings have been shown to improve knowledge and opting for choices that
better comport with patient values and preferences, thus increasing likelihood of initiation and retention in
evidence-based care. The candidate plans to adapt a decision aid that she developed for community
treatment settings to the transitional period from incarceration. This aid is designed to improve both patient and
provider knowledge and attitudes, to overcome misinformation and negative feelings about treatment. To adapt
the current decision aid for opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, the candidate proposes to conduct mixed-
methods assessments of both incarcerated individuals with OUD and multidisciplinary justice system staff,
regarding shared decision making for OUD treatment and medication initiation prior to release. Informed by
these results, she will adapt (using a systematic framework) an existing tablet-based decision aid for OUD
treatment with usability/field testing. This finalized and new decision aid for incarcerated individuals anticipating
release will be piloted to assess feasibility and acceptability among the incarcerated individuals and staff, as
well as for feasibility of the trial and preliminary effectiveness for increasing medication initiation compared to
counseling as usual. These proposed aims will be supported with a plan of mentorship and training, all of
which will support the candidate’s ultimate ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9927005
- **Project number:** 1K23DA049689-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Dharushana Muthulingam
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $98,680
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2020-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9927005

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9927005, Developing and Pilot Testing a Decision Aid for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment with Incarcerated Individuals Anticipating Release (1K23DA049689-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9927005. Licensed CC0.

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