It’s time for another Rebeat! We’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes from our very first season. The opioid epidemic is still very real and there are some new challenges with fentanyl as the predominant opioid on the street. But we’ve gained experience with medication assisted treatment (MAT) and it is now even easier to prescribe treatment for opioid use disorder. The Rebeat has been edited to reflect some of these changes, and our next episode will provide an update on MAT. Now on to the Rebeat…

Let’s talk about the opioid crisis. One woman tells her powerful story of opioid addiction, treatment, and recovery. Then, we discuss the role emergency physicians can play in controlling this epidemic with experts, Dr. Gail D’Onofrio and Dr. Josh Elder. 

How do you manage opioid use disorder in your practice? Join the conversation on Social Media @empulsepodcast or at ucdavisem.com

Hosts:

Dr. Sarah Medeiros, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Dr. Julia Magaña, Associate Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Guests:

Dr. Gail D’Onofrio, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Professor of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, and Professor of Internal Medicine, Core Faculty in Addiction, at Yale School of Medicine

Dr. Josh Elder, Former Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Health

Resources:

Screening Brief Intervention & Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)

CA Bridge

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) information on opioids

Buprenorphine vs. Methadone on atforum.com

Emergency department-initiated buprenorphine/naloxone treatment for opioid dependence: a randomized clinical trial.

D’Onofrio G, O’Connor PG, Pantalon MV, Chawarski MC, Busch SH, Owens PH, Bernstein SL, Fiellin DA. JAMA. 2015 Apr 28;313(16):1636-44. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.3474. PMID: 25919527 

Emergency Department-Initiated Buprenorphine for Opioid Dependence with Continuation in Primary Care: Outcomes During and After Intervention.

D’Onofrio G, Chawarski MC, O’Connor PG, Pantalon MV, Busch SH, Owens PH, Hawk K, Bernstein SL, Fiellin DA. J Gen Intern Med. 2017 Jun;32(6):660-666. doi: 10.1007/s11606-017-3993-2. Epub 2017 Feb 13. PMID: 28194688

Cost-effectiveness of emergency department-initiated treatment for opioid dependence.

Busch SH, Fiellin DA, Chawarski MC, Owens PH, Pantalon MV, Hawk K, Bernstein SL, O’Connor PG, D’Onofrio G. Addiction. 2017 Nov;112(11):2002-2010. doi: 10.1111/add.13900. Epub 2017 Aug 16. PMID: 28815789

Thank you to the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine for supporting this podcast and to Orlando Magaña at OM Productions for audio production services.