NavSTAR Implementation Effectiveness Trial Across a Health System

Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is protective against overdose, yet less than 20% of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) engage in such treatment. Hospital utilization is high among people with OUD and can be a 'reachable moment' to initiate OAT. However, most hospitals lack the capacity to follow up with patients after discharge. Patient navigation (PN) interventions following hospital discharge can help patients engage in OAT and navigate complex systems of care. However, challenges persist in implementing PN interventions on a wide scale, as they require coordination across organizations, data sharing, dedicated personnel, and resources. To bring these interventions to scale, strategies are needed to determine feasibility, reach, and sustainability. Testing innovative implementation strategies for PN interventions has the potential for significant impact, as it will demonstrate implementation success of an intervention that can address the opioid epidemic in real-world settings and close the research-to-practice translation gap. The proposed study is a type II hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial of Navigation Services to Avoid Rehospitalization (NavSTAR). The research team showed in a single-site randomized trial with 400 participants that NavSTAR significantly improved OAT entry, reduced readmissions, and was highly cost-effective compared to treatment as usual. The present study will test an Implementation Facilitation (IF) strategy to provide training, resources, and performance feedback to implement NavSTAR in five hospitals in Philadelphia. It is hypothesized that engaging stakeholders in an IF strategy will yield an implementation process that is feasible, acceptable, and effective in improving outcomes for patients with OUD. During the R33 phase, a type II hybrid-implementation-effectiveness trial of NavSTAR will be conducted with 720 participants using a randomized stepped-wedge design.

The proposed study is a type II hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial of Navigation Services to Avoid Rehospitalization (NavSTAR). The present study will test an Implementation Facilitation (IF) strategy following Proctor's conceptual model of implementation, using an external facilitator and internal local clinical champions to provide training, resources and performance feedback to implement NavSTAR in five hospitals. It is hypothesized that engaging stakeholders in an IF strategy will yield an implementation process that is feasible, acceptable, and effective in expanding engagement in OAT post-discharge. This type II hybrid implementation-effectiveness randomized stepped-wedge trial (N=720) will examine NavSTAR's sustained use in a hospital system to improve outcomes for patients with OUD.

R33 Specific Aims:

• Aim 1: Determine the successful implementation of NavSTAR in terms of a) feasibility, b) reach, and c) sustainability using the newly developed hospital system protocol.
• Aim 2: Determine the effectiveness of NavSTAR to a) improve OAT initiation in the three months post-discharge, b) decrease hospital utilization (inpatient readmissions and emergency department visits), c) reduce overdoses (fatal and non-fatal), and d) improve other patient outcomes (e.g., quality of life, substance use).

The proposed study has high public health significance because it will develop and test an implementation strategy for an intervention (NavSTAR) to improve OAT engagement and outcomes for patients with OUD. The study will yield novel data on how best to implement NavSTAR across a health system operating in an epicenter of the OUD crisis. Study findings will help to develop a path to scale-up this important intervention to address the opioid epidemic.

Inclusion criteria

• age 18 or older;
• current DSM-5 criteria for moderate to severe OUD;
• willing and able to provide informed consent in English.

Exclusion criteria

• enrollment in OUD treatment 30-days prior to hospitalization;
• residency outside the City of Philadelphia;
• pregnancy;
• planned discharge to a long-term inpatient care facility (e.g., hospice);
• hospitalization for a suicide attempt.