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

NCT06696066 | Completed Results

• 2 other identifiers: 2024-08621R61DA059880
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 13
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

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

Keywords

Opioid Use Disorder

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Feasibility - Participant Engagement in the Peer Recovery Support Program

  Percent of participants who attended at least 2 sessions with the Certified Recovery Specialist

  Baseline to 12 weeks

• Acceptability - Participant Alliance With Certified Recovery Specialist

  Participants' average scores for the Scales for Participant Alliance with Recovery Coach (SPARC-2); score can range from 1-5 and a high score indicates greater satisfaction with the CRS.

  12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Feasibility - Feasibility of Assessment Completion

  Baseline

• Feasibility - Feasibility of Assessment Completion

  12 weeks

Study Arms (1)

Peer Recovery Support Pilot Program Implementation and Assessment

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will be offered services from a certified recovery specialist (CRS; 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.

Behavioral: PRS Program

Interventions

PRS Program 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.

Peer Recovery Support Pilot Program Implementation and Assessment

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 89 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

• 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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Geisinger Clinic: lead
• UConn Health: collaborator
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Geisinger Health

Danville, Pennsylvania, 17822, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Opioid-Related Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Narcotic-Related Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Melissa Poulsen
• Organization: Geisinger

mpoulsen@geisinger.edu

5702149322

Study Officials

• Melissa Poulsen, PhD

  Geisinger Clinic

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 18, 2024
• First Posted: November 19, 2024
• Study Start: February 18, 2025
• Primary Completion: June 9, 2025
• Study Completion: July 3, 2025
• Last Updated: February 25, 2026
• Results First Posted: February 25, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)