Researchers in Canada have found a significant number of individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders are admitted to inpatient psychiatric units. We looked at those admitted to an acute care hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, whom had been referred to an addiction medicine consult team, to develop a greater understanding of this population and of the care being provided in order to improve care outcomes and patients’ care experiences. (more…)
This JAMA Insights Clinical Update reviews evidence-based use of opioids to manage noncancer pain, proposing opioid-sparing pain management. Based on recent literature and the rapidly evolving nature of the opioid overdose epidemic due to the emergence of fentanyl analogues in the illicit drug supply, there are clearly 3 main clinical scenarios being confronted by clinicians where evidence-based recommendations can be made. (more…)
Although opioid agonist treatment is effective in treating opioid use disorders, retention in such treatment is suboptimal in part due to quality of care issues. A new initiative sought to boost treatment of opioid use disorders so that people stay there longer. This article describes how teams did in a structured quality improvement initiative in Vancouver, Canada. (more…)
Canada and the United States (U.S.) face an opioid use disorder and opioid overdose epidemic.
The most effective OUD treatment is opioid agonist therapy (OAT). It means buprenorphine (with and without naloxone) and methadone. Although federal approval for OAT occurred decades ago, in both countries, access to and use of OAT is low. Restrictive policies and complex regulations contribute to limited treatment access. (more…)
What are the training needs of newly trained professionals working in addiction medicine around the world? Do they get enough and appropriate training to treat people who live with addictions? A new study protocol plans to answer these questions. (more…)