Caring for people who inject drugs when they are admitted to hospital

Commentary
by
Brothers, Thomas D., John Fraser and Duncan Webster

Release Date

2021

Geography

Canada

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

Yes

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Yes

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Findings/Key points

Injection drug use and associated hospital admissions are increasingly common in Canada, People who inject drugs may not be comfortable disclosing substance use, Starting treatment for substance use disorders in hospital improves outcomes, Effectively treating opioid withdrawal reduces premature patient-initiated discharges against medical advice, Hospitals should offer harm reduction services

Keywords

Withdrawal
Clinical guidance
Policy/Regulatory
About prescribers
Illegal drugs
Stigma
Hospitals