Grant: Summer Program in Aging

Outcomes are study endpoints used in health research to determine treatment effectiveness. However, studies that examine older adults with opioid use disorders (OUDs) do not consider patient-relevant factors in outcome selection, e.g., concurrent medications for managing co-occurring diseases, or patient goals for treatment success, e.g., improved quality of interpersonal relationships. Failure to account for these factors in the use of outcomes limits the ability of research to make inferences regarding treatment effectiveness in older adults with mental illness. It is vital to incorporate patients' needs and preferences in outcome selection, so that study findings have value for making decisions about treatment success in the target population. Our overall aim is to identify a set of patient-centered outcomes to be used in studies assessing older adults with mental illness. We will use healthcare data to follow a cohort of older adults who have received treatment for OUDs in Ontario over a 5-year period. We will examine whether treatment for OUDs is successful in achieving long-term patient goals for treatment effectiveness identified by prior interviews with patients, and also whether there are factors associated with better treatment outcomes for older adults (e.g., sex, gender). The findings from our work will enable researchers to select outcomes that align with patient-identified goals for treatment success, and inform patient-centered care guidelines for older adults with mental illness.