[April 27] The ongoing opioid crisis continues to inflict serious harms on thousands of British Columbians. Some harms are due to initiation of opioid analgesics in primary care which contributes to the development of prescription opioid addiction and opioid use disorder (OUD) in up to a quarter of all individuals started on opioid analgesics.
Watch dialogue session https://health.ubc.ca/interdisciplinary-health-research/health-after-2020/health-after-2020-dialogue-sessions
An evidence-based opioid-sparing approach to pain management can minimize this risk. The resurgent COVID-19 pandemic further exposes the existing inequities in the system of care for people with or at risk of developing prescription OUD. Access to opioid-sparing pain management in primary care should be freely accessible to all patients suffering from pain, regardless of their gender, race, or socio-economic status. The inequities that hinder their access to these therapies have not been fully understood.
This open dialogue session will focus on health equity oriented opioid-sparing pain management in primary care.
This session is part of Health Equity After 2020. The Health After 2020 program supports researchers to engage in interdisciplinary collaborations and build a community of UBC Health scholars. Through the development of research collaborations, academic outputs, cross-campus conversations, and open dialogue sessions, the program convenes and informs people at the inflection point in our society created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
EXPLORING BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO HEALTH EQUITY: A PUBLIC DIALOGUE TO ADVANCE RESEARCH AGENDAS RELATED TO OPIOID PRESCRIBING FOR PAIN CONDITIONS
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
12:00-1:00 pm PST
e-Meeting Registration
HEALTH EQUITY SPEAKERS
Rita McCracken is Assistant Professor and Scientific Director, Innovation Support Unit in the Department of Family Practice in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC and a family physician. Dr. McCracken’s research aims to change patterns of prescribing and de-prescribing in order to better patient outcomes. She also has an interest in equity-oriented opioid-sparing pain management in primary care. Her other research work involves studying the family doctor shortage in BC.
Colleen Varcoe is Professor in the School of Nursing in the Faculty of Applied Science at UBC. Dr. Varcoe’s research is focused on interventions for women who have experienced intersecting forms of violence and interventions for organizations to support equity-oriented care. She is a leader in implementing and studying equity-promoting healthcare, including trauma- and violence-informed approaches, cultural safety, and harm reduction.
Fred Cameron is the acting Operations Director and Harm Reduction Manager with SOLID Outreach Society. After a lifelong battle with addiction, Fred entered the world of recovery in 2015. In his early struggles, he realized that if he embraced it, his experience could be used to help others. Fred has extensive experience as a community researcher with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and as member of the BC Support Unit Patient Council.
Shawna Narayan is Research Analyst in the Department of Family Practice in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. She is dedicated to addressing inequalities in healthcare and education. As part of the REDONNA study team, she contributes to crucial research that aims to the improve safety of opioid prescribing in primary care. She also has an interest in improving cultural responsiveness of mental healthcare and medical education on opioid-sparing pain management.
Text taken from: https://health.ubc.ca/news-events/events
If you enjoyed reading this post, you may also like reading more about opioid research. Or, visit the REDONNA study at Dr Rita McCracken’s home page.