Assessment

Researchers looked at what happens in rural and urban emergency departments (EDs) when peer-based services are used for patients arriving with opioid use disorder (OUD).  The study aimed to find gaps in knowledge for rural EDs and found five key differences from urban counterparts that presented a challenge.  Among these was difficulty identifying community partners.

Telemedicine is increasingly being used to treat patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). It has particular value in rural areas of the United States impacted by the opioid crisis as these areas have a shortage of trained addiction medicine providers. Patient satisfaction significantly impacts positive clinical outcomes in OUD treatment and thus is of great clinical interest.

The 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) is a comprehensive assessment of the threat posed to the United States by the trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs, the diversion and abuse of licit drugs, and the laundering of proceeds generated through illicit drug sales. It also addresses the role domestic groups, including organized violent gangs, serve in domestic drug trafficking. The most widely trafficked drugs are discussed in terms of their availability, consumption and overdose related deaths, production and cultivation, transportation, and distribution.

In light of the accelerating and rapidly evolving overdose crisis in the United States (US), new strategies are needed to address the epidemic and to efficiently engage and retain individuals in care for opioid use disorder (OUD). Moreover, there is an increasing need for novel approaches to using health data to identify gaps in the cascade of care for persons with OUD.

o CAST (calculating for an adequate system tool) produces community-specific assessments of the capacity of the components of a community substance abuse care system. CAST generates recommendations by the application of social and community determinants of health as risk coefficients to each estimate of component need. CAST can assist public health practitioners in evaluation and improvement of the capacity of community-based, substance abuse care systems.

An overview by the American Medical Association (AMA) of the changes to coding for Evaluation and Management (E&M) services.

This workshop presented strategies to integrate HIV, hepatitis, and sexual health concerns into services for PWID. The session focused on communication skills, assessment techniques, and building motivation to make healthier choices. The presentation looked at programmatic and clinical level integration strategies and offered participants a chance to assess current service delivery models and develop a plan to enhance care.

To identify Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring Tool tems independently associated with the decision to use pharmacologic therapy and to simplify the FNAST while minimizing loss of information for the treatment decision.

The Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale is an 11-item scale designed to be administered by a clinician.

The CIWA-Ar assessment for monitoring withdrawal symptoms requires approximately 5 minutes to administer. The maximum score is 67. Patients scoring less than 10 do not usually need additional medication for withdrawal.