A multidisciplinary team at VGH’s Emergency Department has been screening patients for opioid use disorder since 2019. Eligible patients receive take-home Suboxone packages. (Suboxone is a first-line opioid agonist therapy in BC; there is evidence for its effectiveness when provided in emergency department settings.)
“We wanted to gather feedback from the many care providers involved in the program as well as from patients to understand which aspects of our program had been successful,” said Dr. Jessica Moe, a VGH emergency physician and assistant professor. “We applied for funding from VPSA’s Small Steps, Big Idea to find out how we could optimize our processes and make improvements.”
One phased project is Understanding Healthcare Provider and Patient Experiences with Emergency Department Suboxone led by Dr. Jessica Moe. Phase 2 of the project is gathering stakeholder feedback, while also prioritizing planning for sustainability. Dr. Moe is engaging with leaders at the department, hospital, and regional levels to share program successes along with valuable patient and provider feedback. This helps her advocate for improved point-of-care, patient-centred addictions services in the VGH Emergency Department. The current VPSA funding is also being used to build key relationships as well as infrastructure and patient and provider supports that will allow the Suboxone program to be sustained into the future.
To read the full article, visit: https://ourvancouvermsa.ca/2021/10/08/vpsa-project-funding-helps-improve-emergency-department-suboxone-program/
To read all of the Small Steps, Big Idea funds new initiatives, visit: https://ourvancouvermsa.ca/2022/11/03/small-steps-big-idea-funding-helps-take-projects-to-the-next-level/