Testing the Effectiveness of a Graphic Novel Health Education Curriculum for Patients With Addiction

An existing evidence-based toolkit intervention will be adapted and redesigned by a patient and provider team into an engaging, narrative graphic novel curriculum. The proven behavioral interventions will be augmented with health education material focused on MAT and HIV risk reduction. Together, these materials will comprise the Health Education Toolkit. The Health Education Toolkit (TK) will employ a shared decision making model to encourage 1) increased recovery engagement by patients, and 2) patient engagement in deciding whether to initiate and adhere to MAT.

Treatment-as-usual will consist of the same number of counseling sessions as the experimental TK condition, but the counselors working with patients in this condition will not be equipped with the TK materials.