Responding to dual public health crises in the Emergency Department: Advancing patient-centered care for people who use opioids during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has collided with Canada’s overdose emergency to worsen harms for people who use opioids. Emergency departments (EDs) play an important role in reducing future overdose risk by providing access to treatment and harm reduction interventions. However, COVID-19 has transformed how acute care hospitals operate, and EDs have shifted how they triage, engage, and connect patients to post-discharge resources. Little is known about the impact of these dual public health crises on ED patient care.

 Our proposed research will address this knowledge gap using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Our objectives are to:

  1. Describe the impacts of COVID-19 on opioid-related ED presentations

  2. Analyze how ED care for patients who use opioids has changed during the pandemic

  3. Assess ED patient and staff perspectives on receiving or providing opioid-related care during COVID-19

  4. Develop training materials and recommendations to prepare EDs to deliver patient-centered care for people who use opioids during and after COVID-19

Our project will identify strategies to support EDs in responding to dual public health emergencies, promote equitable healthcare access, and mitigate the combined harms of overdose and COVID-19 for people who use opioids.

 

Study Lead: Elaine Hyshka

Funding Support: Canadian Institutes of Health Research  

Status: Ongoing