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In the United States, the opioid epidemic continues to claim lives, with over 81,000 deaths in 2024 from opioid overdoses, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Despite a slight decline in fatalities from 2023, the crisis remains a pressing public health issue. An estimated 2.5 million Americans still grapple with opioid addiction, and while medications like methadone and buprenorphine can help, many patients struggle with completing their treatment.
New research from Northeastern University suggests a promising solution: combining medication-assisted treatment with support from self-help groups. A study using artificial intelligence to analyze a large national dataset of patients with opioid use disorder found that those who attended support groups were over 25% more likely to complete their treatment.
“We know that medical treatment is very effective, but we also know that if someone prematurely discontinues the treatment, they become very vulnerable to overdosing,” said Muhammad Noor E Alam, the lead investigator and a professor of mechanical engineering at Northeastern. “Our analysis creates evidence from U.S. data that shows if someone participates in a self-help group during treatment, they are more likely to finish it.”
The study, published in the International Journal of Medical Informatics, analyzed data from 157,885 patients receiving opioid treatment between 2015 and 2019. Of those, 49,058 attended self-help groups, and more than half of them completed their medication treatment. In comparison, only 19% of those who did not attend support groups finished their treatment.
The research team used artificial intelligence to sift through the data, removing irrelevant details and focusing on key factors such as treatment setting, education level, socioeconomic status, and psychological history. This allowed them to isolate instances where support group attendance was the only distinguishing factor between those who completed treatment and those who did not.
The study highlights that opioid addiction treatment is not solely about medications. The support of individuals facing similar challenges, under the guidance of a health professional, plays a crucial role in helping patients stick with their treatment.
In addition to this study, Alam and his colleagues have previously used AI to identify risk factors for opioid use disorder and treatment discontinuation, helping doctors better tailor care and allocate resources. Their work also includes initiatives aimed at reducing the black-market circulation of prescription opioids by proposing better methods for disposal.
The research team is optimistic that these findings can influence policy changes and improve retention rates in opioid addiction treatment.
Disclaimer: The findings presented in this article are based on research published in the International Journal of Medical Informatics. The study’s results reflect trends observed in the dataset analyzed and may not be applicable to all individuals undergoing opioid addiction treatment. Always consult a healthcare professional for advice regarding treatment options.
