Buprenorphine has been shown to be effective for treating opioid use disorder and can be prescribed in an office setting by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who have a federal waiver. However, buprenorphine is underutilized nationally, particularly in rural areas.

This article describes the results of an online survey that was distributed to a random national sample of nurse practitioners and physician assistants to assess the perceived efficacy of buprenorphine compared to other similar medications among this population and to uncover barriers to prescription.