Why equity hinders effective pain relief for opioid naive people
Equitable access to care is problematic; some people get it, most are left out.
The REDONNA study (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2021.106462) began from the motivation for equitable opioid prescribing in primary care. It aimed to provide prescribing non-judgmental feedback to physicians using audit & feedback letters developed by the @Drug_Evidence and @DrRitaMc @malcolmlaclure
They received information about the number of new opioid initiations & how they compared to the average physician. They were provided information on the (lack) of effectiveness on pain for opioid naïve patients through educational webinars: https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmac044
From this study, we hope to support the uptake of quality prescribing practices that are equity-oriented and evidence-based to help patients manage pain.
Equitable care saves lives
This includes equitable prescribing for individuals who use opioids in addition to medical education that goes beyond and amplifies the message of international @OverdoseDay #IOAD2022 #endoverdose
Special thanks to @ShawnaNarayan for coordinating REDONNA and crafting educational messages.
Newly started primary care opioid prescriptions plateaued in 2018-2019
Our new study published in the Canadian Journal of Addiction found plateauing rates of new starts of opioid analgesics in British Columbia in 2018-2019. We wanted to find out how many and what kind of opioid prescriptions were started to opioid naïve patients by family physicians in British Columbia. (more…)
Can intentional substance use reduce illicit opioid use?
Have you ever intentionally used an alternate substance to control or reduce your use of illicit (non-prescribed) opioids?
Self-managed use is one way to reduce the psychological, social and physical harms related to substance use. While chronic addiction interferes with self-control, even people living with the most severe addictions can self-manage their use.
Thrive supports caregivers coping with family substance use issues
Thrive is a supportive network for family and friend caregivers of older adults who use substances or alcohol.
Authors: Michee-Ana Hamilton, MSc and Jan Klimas, MSc, PhD.
Reprinted from the Supporting Parents issue of Visions Journal, 2021, 17 (1), pp. 12-13
Moving on: helping young people
In this 2009 Insight article, Gemma Turner, Cobh Community Based Drugs Worker, provides a brief history of the project while Jano Klimas gives a sense of the impact of the youth initiative from its evaluation.