Opioid Screening and Intervention

The number of opioid overdose deaths in the US has risen dramatically in the past three decades, resulting in significant medical, social, and financial consequences for the healthcare system. A large proportion of patients with substance use disorder and opioid use disorder are encountered through emergency departments. NYU Langone Health, like many other large academic institutions, has placed an increased focus on combating this epidemic. Its Department of Emergency Medicine engaged a Capstone team to evaluate care for patients with opioid use disorder, which requires a multifaceted approach. Given the various engagement and treatment pathways being explored throughout medicine, and the novel nature of many of these pathways, no single mechanism of treatment and referral has been proven superior or sustainable. The team developed several interventions for NYU Langone to implement, including opioid screening questions at triage, social work intervention, naloxone kit distribution, referral to treatment, and medication-assisted therapy.