- Your clinical staff can assist with much of the induction process, including intake screening, withdrawal assessment, and patient education. Explain each staff member's role to your patients so they know who to approach for help if there is a problem.
- Most patients will be taking the buprenorphine/naloxone combination tablet, which is administered sublingually. Patients should engage in an activity that does not involve talking while the tablet is dissolving, which takes about 5-7 minutes.
- When a patient comes in for an office induction, assess them as soon as possible and provide a dose of buprenorphine to minimize withdrawal discomfort.
- For home inductions, an alternative to office inductions, the patient should come into your office to have their withdrawal symptoms assessed, and then can take home the initial dose to take in the privacy and comfort of their own home, returning 1-2 hours later for re-evaluation and further dosing.
- Prescription refills should be given in small amounts during the few few weeks of treatment so that the patient can be monitored. The prescription size can be increased as the patient is successfully maintained over time.
