Anna-Maria South, Kathryn Hawk, Sally Friedman, Michelle R Lofwall, Laura C Fanucchi, Shawn M Cohen
{"title":"Civil Rights Laws for People With Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Department.","authors":"Anna-Maria South, Kathryn Hawk, Sally Friedman, Michelle R Lofwall, Laura C Fanucchi, Shawn M Cohen","doi":"10.1097/ADM.0000000000001480","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Emergency clinicians frequently care for patients with complications from underlying opioid use disorder. While many clinicians are comfortable addressing the immediate medical complications of opioid use disorder, too many do not offer evidence-based medications that stabilize the patient by alleviating withdrawal and cravings, and that also treat opioid use disorder, the underlying cause of the presentation. Because medication for opioid use disorder, namely methadone and buprenorphine, reduces the risk of death by up to 50%, this omission at a critical touchpoint in the health care system misses an opportunity to engage people in care and reduce fatal overdose. It also exposes the emergency department and health care facility to potential legal liability. Under federal civil rights laws, it is illegal to discriminate against people with opioid use disorder; discrimination may include failure to screen for and diagnose opioid use disorder and offer medications for opioid use disorder alongside a facilitated referral for outpatient treatment. Advocates for a more effective emergency department response to opioid use disorder can use these civil rights laws to press for the adoption of evidence-based practices for people with opioid use disorder. Legal advocacy is an important tool to utilize during this unrelenting overdose crisis.</p>","PeriodicalId":14744,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Addiction Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Addiction Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000001480","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"SUBSTANCE ABUSE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Emergency clinicians frequently care for patients with complications from underlying opioid use disorder. While many clinicians are comfortable addressing the immediate medical complications of opioid use disorder, too many do not offer evidence-based medications that stabilize the patient by alleviating withdrawal and cravings, and that also treat opioid use disorder, the underlying cause of the presentation. Because medication for opioid use disorder, namely methadone and buprenorphine, reduces the risk of death by up to 50%, this omission at a critical touchpoint in the health care system misses an opportunity to engage people in care and reduce fatal overdose. It also exposes the emergency department and health care facility to potential legal liability. Under federal civil rights laws, it is illegal to discriminate against people with opioid use disorder; discrimination may include failure to screen for and diagnose opioid use disorder and offer medications for opioid use disorder alongside a facilitated referral for outpatient treatment. Advocates for a more effective emergency department response to opioid use disorder can use these civil rights laws to press for the adoption of evidence-based practices for people with opioid use disorder. Legal advocacy is an important tool to utilize during this unrelenting overdose crisis.
期刊介绍:
The mission of Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, is to promote excellence in the practice of addiction medicine and in clinical research as well as to support Addiction Medicine as a mainstream medical sub-specialty.
Under the guidance of an esteemed Editorial Board, peer-reviewed articles published in the Journal focus on developments in addiction medicine as well as on treatment innovations and ethical, economic, forensic, and social topics including:
•addiction and substance use in pregnancy
•adolescent addiction and at-risk use
•the drug-exposed neonate
•pharmacology
•all psychoactive substances relevant to addiction, including alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, marijuana, opioids, stimulants and other prescription and illicit substances
•diagnosis
•neuroimaging techniques
•treatment of special populations
•treatment, early intervention and prevention of alcohol and drug use disorders
•methodological issues in addiction research
•pain and addiction, prescription drug use disorder
•co-occurring addiction, medical and psychiatric disorders
•pathological gambling disorder, sexual and other behavioral addictions
•pathophysiology of addiction
•behavioral and pharmacological treatments
•issues in graduate medical education
•recovery
•health services delivery
•ethical, legal and liability issues in addiction medicine practice
•drug testing
•self- and mutual-help.