Physician Reluctance to Intervene in Addiction: A Systematic Review

JAMA Network Open

This systematic review of 283 articles explored the reasons physicians give for not addressing substance use and addiction in their clinical practice. The institutional environment (81.2% of articles) was the most common reason given for physicians not intervening in addiction, followed by lack of skill (73.9%), cognitive capacity (73.5%), and knowledge (71.9%). These findings suggest that efforts should be directed at creating institutional environments that facilitate the delivery of evidence-based addiction care while improving access to education and training opportunities for physicians to practice the necessary skills.

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