Science Series Presentation by Drs. Hawk and McCormack on “Initiating Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Room” Available for View
March 1, 2018
The Northeast Node was pleased to kick off the 2018 calendar year with a Science Series presentation by Ryan McCormack, MD, MS, and Kathryn Hawk, MD, MHS, on “Initiating Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Room.” The Emergency Department (ED) is a critical venue for initiating substance use disorder (SUD) interventions because ED patients have a disproportionately high prevalence of SUD, are at an elevated risk of overdose, and many do not access healthcare elsewhere. Despite this, SUD interventions are rarely initiated in EDs.
In their presentation, Dr. Hawk and Dr. McCormack reviewed common barriers to initiating treatment in the ED, including stigma, lack of resources, and perceptions of SUD as being a choice rather than a chronic disease with a biological basis. For example, Dr. Hawk spoke about how using language like “addict, alcoholic, and dirty” versus “person with an alcohol or drug use disorder” reinforces negative perceptions.
Drawing on recent and ongoing research, they also described best practices for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder in the ED, including ED-initiated buprenorphine, extended-release naltrexone, and naloxone distribution. ED patients with OUD who received ED-initiated buprenorphine were twice as likely to be engaged in treatment at a 30-day follow-up than those who were given a referral or brief intervention. While the current federal regulations may make it challenging for ED providers to administer medication-assisted treatment for OUD, Dr. McCormack and the CTN are exploring the role that buprenorphine, including injectable extended release buprenorphine formulations, could play.
Dr. McCormack is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at New York University School of Medicine. He is a practicing emergency medicine clinician at Bellevue Hospital in New York with a broad clinical background in Emergency, Internal and Addiction Medicine. His research focuses on using collaborative strategies to practically and sustainably integrate substance use interventions in the ED to enhance healthcare quality.
Dr. Hawk is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Yale University and works as an Attending physician at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Her research focuses on overdose prevention in high-risk populations and ED-initiated buprenorphine and linkage to treatment for substance use disorders.
Their full presentation can be viewed on the Northeast Node’s website. If you would like to join the Science Series mailing list, please email Bethany McLeman.
