PEERS Pilot: Peer Recovery Support Program to Support Engagement in Medication for Opioid Use Disorder

NCT ID: NCT06696066

Last Updated: 2025-07-22

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 13 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-02-18
• Study Completion Date: 2025-07-03

Brief Summary

The goal of this pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a peer recovery support program to support patient engagement in medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The program, entitled "Promoting Enhanced Engagement through Recovery Support" (PEERS) was developed in collaboration with community and clinical partners for the MOUD outpatient setting. Information gathered during this pilot study will inform refinements to the program and study components for a future clinical trial that will evaluate the effectiveness of the peer recovery support program in increasing patient retention in MOUD.

The investigators will recruit 12 participants to the pilot study, all of whom will receive the PEERS program. The study will take place in Geisinger outpatient addiction treatment clinics in northeast Pennsylvania. Patients initiating MOUD treatment at one of the clinics will be eligible for participation, and will be recruited via email, patient portal messages, and phone. Each participant will receive the PEERS program, entailing regular sessions with a Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) for 6 months. Participants will also be asked to complete assessments at baseline and 12 weeks and will be invited to provide qualitative feedback on their experience with the program through an interview conducted between 8-12 weeks. As the focus of the pilot pertains to the feasibility and acceptability of the program and the study components, study outcomes focus on participant engagement in and acceptance of the program, CRS fidelity to the program, barriers to implementation, and feasibility of data collection.

Conditions

Opioid Use Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Peer Recovery Support Pilot Program Implementation and Assessment

Participants will be offered services from a certified recovery specialist (i.e., the Peer Recovery Support program). This will entail a CRS meeting one-on-one with the patient at regular intervals (e.g., weekly) to provide support to the participant for a 6-month period. CRS services are patient-centered and driven by a patient's own recovery goals, thus the frequency, timing, duration, modality (in-person, phone), and location of meetings (in the clinic or in a community setting such as a coffeeshop) are flexible and determined collaboratively by the CRS and patient.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

PRS Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The Peer Recovery Support program will be delivered by a certified recovery specialist (CRS) over the course of 6-months. The CRS will provide supportive care to the participant during their initial 6-months of MOUD treatment to increase patient engagement in their treatment. The CRS may provide emotional support; help participants to identify their recovery assets, goals, and barriers; guide participants in creating a recovery plan; help participants to increase their coping skills; and assist participants in connecting to community and recovery resources.

Interventions

PRS Program

The Peer Recovery Support program will be delivered by a certified recovery specialist (CRS) over the course of 6-months. The CRS will provide supportive care to the participant during their initial 6-months of MOUD treatment to increase patient engagement in their treatment. The CRS may provide emotional support; help participants to identify their recovery assets, goals, and barriers; guide participants in creating a recovery plan; help participants to increase their coping skills; and assist participants in connecting to community and recovery resources.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Adult ≥ 18 years of age
• Initiated medication for opioid use disorder at a Geisinger outpatient addiction treatment clinic within the past 45 days
• Willing to participate in the Peer Recovery Support program
• Able and willing to provide consent

Exclusion Criteria

• Received medication for opioid use disorder at a Geisinger outpatient addiction treatment clinic in the 90 days prior to the treatment initiation date
• Not proficient in English

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 89 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

UConn Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Geisinger Clinic

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Melissa Poulsen, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Geisinger Clinic

Locations

Geisinger Health

Danville, Pennsylvania, United States

Countries

United States

Provided Documents

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

1R61DA059880

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

2024-0862

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id