GNYHA hosted a webinar last week on the crucial role of the emergency department (ED) in recognizing and treating opioid use disorder (OUD) patients with evidence-based medication-assisted treatments (MAT). Gail D’Onofrio, MD, discussed her pioneering work in creating the evidence base for treating patients in the emergency room with medications that reduce withdrawal symptoms, improve adherence to treatment, and saves lives. Dr. D’Onofrio is Professor and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Yale University and Physician-in Chief of Emergency Services at Yale New Haven Hospital.
The opioid epidemic was declared a national public health emergency in 2017—yet MAT remains significantly underused, even though a growing body of evidence suggests that offering MAT to appropriate patients who present with OUD in the ED is becoming the standard of care. The webinar also addressed current GNYHA and member initiatives to promote MAT access, practical solutions to overcoming barriers of stigma, ED workflow, workforce training, referrals for continuing treatment, and integrating the research with practice.
This webinar is part of a series of GNYHA programs that address the role of hospitals in the opioid epidemic, including a learning collaborative for hospital EDs to promote access to evidence-based care in the ED and the community.
Presentation material and the recorded webinar are available here.