Emergency Department–Initiated Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Among Canadian ED patients who consented to therapy, 37% were continuing with medical therapy or off opioids at 6 months.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) can reduce illicit opioid use, overdoses, and mortality (J Med Toxicol 2018;14:306) but is rarely initiated in the emergency department (ED), where affected patients are often seen.

Researchers retrospectively evaluated an ED-initiated MAT program for OUD at four community EDs in Ontario. Patients meeting criteria for OUD who were in at least mild withdrawal were approached for enrollment. In the ED, consenting patients received buprenorphine/naloxone titrated to relief of withdrawal symptoms. Patients were then referred to next-day follow-up at an addiction medicine clinic and prescribed 3 days of buprenorphine/naloxone to be filled at that clinic or a pharmacy.

Of 49 patients…

Reviewing Author

Benton R. Hunter, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Chair, Evidence Based Healthcare Interest Group)

Benton R. Hunter, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Chair, Evidence Based Healthcare Interest Group)

Emergency Department–Initiated Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Topics

Reviewing Author