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Study finds that just one in 18 people start an effective treatment following hospital visits for opioid overdose).
“Results have revealed that only 4.1% of hospital encounters for opioid overdoses led to OAT initiation within a week of discharge from the hospital. This shows that opportunities to save lives are being missed,” says Dr. Tara Gomes, a researcher based in Unity Health Toronto.
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a major public health issue, with an almost threefold increase in opioid-related emergency department visits between 2016 and 2021 in Ontario and a 32% increase in related hospitalizations in Canada.
Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is a highly effective treatment for patients with OUD.
The study looked at trends in OAT initiation rates for hospital visits because of opioid toxicity between 2013 and 2020, using data from ICES. It was found that only a small percentage of patients receive OAT after a visit.
“Our research shows that there were substantial disparities in OAT initiation rates, with potential barriers to prescribing for older patients, those with mental health diagnoses, and those in the lowest neighborhood income quintile,” write the authors. They suggest changes such as institutional OAT training, creating OAT initiation protocols, promoting awareness of referral resources with outpatient addiction programs, and more.
Research is ongoing to further these findings and prompt changes to provide these potentially life-saving treatments.
To learn more please visit: DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.231014 and www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.231014
Citation:
Few patients receive opioid agonist therapy after opioid overdose, despite benefits: Study (2023, December 18)
retrieved 18 December 2023
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-12-patients-opioid-agonist-therapy-overdose.html
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