Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5640-0749

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

School of Medicine

Department

Not Listed

Committee Chair

Wanhong Zheng

Committee Member

Erin Winstanley

Committee Member

James D. Thornton

Committee Member

Sijin Wen

Committee Member

Jared Lapkowicz

Abstract

Opioid overdose (OD) deaths remain a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States (US) and approximately 76,516 drug OD deaths were predicted in the past year prior to April 2025. While previous research has focused on fatal opioid ODs, less is known about outcomes following non-fatal opioid ODs (NFOO) involving fentanyl. Patients who experienced a fentanyl OD may develop significant morbidity and inpatient mortality due to fentanyl’s high potency, rapid onset of action, and decreased response to naloxone. Research efforts to improve continuity of care for opioid use disorder (OUD) are highly needed to ensure appropriate follow-up care following a non-fatal fentanyl OD and sustained engagement and retention in treatment. Buprenorphine (BUP) is an effective medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), has a good safety profile, and can be prescribed in office-based treatment settings. However, patients with OUD continue to experience challenges accessing the medication in community pharmacies. Our preliminary survey data has found that one-third of patients in West Virginia (WV) receiving BUP treatment reported problems filling their prescriptions at the pharmacy, highlighting the urgent need for more research to identify strategies to improve BUP access at the pharmacy level. Therefore, this presented dissertation research aims to improve the continuity of care for patients with OUD by addressing these knowledge gaps. Aim 1 will describe the morbidity, mortality, and health outcomes following a fentanyl OD and Aim 2 will utilize a quasi- experimental study design to assess the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a pharmacy- based quality improvement (QI) intervention to improve continuous access to BUP. The multicomponent intervention that will be implemented and tested consists of a pharmacy dispensing system with integrated electronic medical record (EMR), education for patients, prescribers, and pharmacy staff, BUP delivery service, personalized assistance with BUP dispensing, and medication adherence support. Results from both studies will fill important gaps in literature by informing the need to screen for OD-related morbidities, appropriate follow-up care, and development of interventions to improve BUP access.

Download

Share

COinS