Project Title: Development of a Treatment Program for Opioid Use Disorder in a Primary Care Residency
Authors: Emily Berger, MD, PGY3; Carmel Vandal, MD, faculty
Program: Swedish Family Medicine Residency
Abstract: Colorado is in the midst of an epidemic of opioid addiction, as is the greater United States. Overdose deaths from prescription and non-prescription opioids have surged in the U.S. over the last 10 years. There is an enormous need in our communities for safe and effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), and primary care physicians are ideally placed to offer this treatment. Extensive research has shown the efficacy and benefit of prescribing medications to assist in the treatment of OUD. Buprenorphine specifically is a form of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) that is well-suited to be incorporated into a primary care setting. Our project seeks to establish a MAT program at the Swedish Family Medicine Residency clinic. We have developed protocols and procedures to safely and effectively incorporate this treatment modality into our office, taking into account the unique considerations of doing so in a residency clinic. Further, we have administered surveys to office staff before and after educational sessions regarding OUD and MAT, to gauge the effectiveness of such teaching.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to…
• Diagnose opioid use disorder in a primary care setting
• Identify and explain options for medication-assisted treatment for OUD
• Advocate for the implementation of a MAT program into a primary care residency clinic, including the identification of necessary protocols and procedures
Category: Resident education/curriculum
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