The misuse of opioids has become widespread. Buprenorphine maintenance therapy (BMT) is one evidence-based treatment that is still not widely used. It may be possible to lower overall healthcare expenditures, reduce medical morbidity related to opioid dependency, and enhance treatment results by providing BMT in primary care settings. Access to BMT is still restricted, nevertheless, particularly in rural regions. An overview of the obstacles to BMT adoption among family doctors in a mostly rural region of the United States will be provided in this article. An anonymous study of family doctors working in the mostly rural states of New Hampshire and Vermont was carried out. The study, which focused on physician perceptions of opioids and BMT uptake, included both quantitative and qualitative questions. Among the specific aspects evaluated were logistical concerns, physician considerations, and doctors' comprehension of patient factors.

The study was filled out by 128 family doctors. Ten percent or so prescribed buprenorphine. Over 80% of family doctors said they encountered opiate addicts on a regular basis. The majority (70%) believed that treating opiate addiction was their duty as family doctors. Adoption of buprenorphine may have been hampered logistically by undertrained employees (88%), a lack of time (80%), a lack of office space (49%), and onerous laws (37%). Open-ended questions often touched on issues such as a challenging patient group, suspicion of those with addiction or buprenorphine, and a lack of time, interest, or understanding.

The purpose of this research is to measure the perceived obstacles to treatment and give information on growing the number of family doctors that deliver BMT. According to the findings, family doctors are well suited to provide BMT since the majority of them report encountering patients with opioid addiction on a frequent basis and feel that it is their duty to treat opioid addiction. There are still several significant obstacles, including as the perceived effectiveness of BMT, insufficient staff training, and limited availability to addiction specialists. By removing these obstacles, buprenorphine adoption resistance may be reduced and rural communities' access to BMT may be improved.