Buprenorphine

Opioid use disorder (OUD) has highly effective FDA approved medications for its treatment. This module reviews and compares pharmacological treatment options for individuals with OUD, including methadone, buprenorphine (SL and injectable formulations), and naltrexone (oral and long-acting intramuscular formulations). Current evidence for each medication is reviewed in detail and studies comparing each are discussed. The purpose and goal of medications for OUD is reviewed and different treatment models are presented. The module includes a discussion of a case vignette in which medication options for OUD are considered.

This module discusses the importance of integrating opioid use disorder (OUD) pharmacotherapy into general medical settings, describes models in primary care, emergency rooms, and hospitals where medications for OUD treatment are successfully included as standard care, and reviews keys to OUD pharmacotherapy implementation in clinical practice. Participants are encouraged to adapt this information for use in their own clinical practices.

Utilization of evidence-based counseling to effectively manage primary care patients with Opioid Use Disorders (OUD) provides the best chance of improving motivation for change, treatment engagement and ultimate remission. Standard Medical Management (SMM) is one such option that can be used that is efficient, focused, and relatively easily integrated into primary care practice. The goal of this module is to prepare participants to deliver the assessment and treatment components of the initial and subsequent 15-minute SMM sessions. Participants will also review brief motivational strategies to manage resistance and/or lack of progress, as well as common issues when treating OUD.

This educational activity reviews other substance use disorders that often co-occur with opioid use disorder (OUD), including benzodiazepines and other tranquilizers, cocaine and stimulants, and cannabis. The presentation will also discuss principles of diagnosis and evaluation of treatment for each of these by themselves, and in the context of OUD.

Substance Use disorders in Older Adults is a growing problem not only in the United States but throughout the developed world. The Baby Boomer generation, born between 1946 and 1964 is turning 58-76 years old this year. This group is presenting with more Substance Use Disorders and need for substance use treatment now. The use of an artificial cut off age of 65 years of age as the definition of elderly or old is somewhat arbitrary and this will be discussed. The module will look at the prevalence, screening and treatment of tobacco, alcohol, opioids, non-medical use of prescription drugs and illicit opioids as well as stimulants and cocaine, marijuana and non-opioid sedative hypnotic agents. A case vignette will drive the CME portion and elucidate the tenants of the module.

Opioid overdose remains a national emergency, and EMS responders are often the first — and sometimes only — healthcare professionals to encounter patients at a critical moment. This SAEM podcast explores the emerging practice of EMS-initiated buprenorphine, an innovative approach that allows paramedics to begin medication for opioid use disorder in the field.

This webinar will explore the intersection of substance use and veteran status, examining the impact of post-traumatic stress, moral injury, and systemic barriers to care. Participants will learn about evidence-based interventions, and resources available to veterans.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2019, only 10% of adults in the U.S with any substance use disorder (SUD) received treatment in part because effective evidence-based treatments for SUDs can be difficult to access in many communities.  CCBHCs help address this issue, delivering easily accessible and effective outpatient behavioral health care and SUD treatment through activities including expanded operating hours, same-day and walk-in appointments, outreach to sidelined populations and moving service delivery beyond clinic walls to reach people in their homes and in the community.

Over 2.5 million adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with OUD. In 2022, 12.7% of ED visits involved opioids. Yet only 25% of those who need treatment receive recommended MOUD. MOUDs are highly effective treatments that have been shown to decrease opioid use, cravings and transmission of infectious disease, and to increase retention in treatment. As the opioid epidemic continues to impact people across the U.S., the ED represents a critical access point to the health care system, supporting people with OUD by initiating MOUD, such as buprenorphine, and connecting them to low-threshold, easy-to-access care for continued treatment.

Emergency Department Bridge Programs allow ED physicians to connect patients in the ED with comprehensive addiction care. While the benefits of bridge programs for patients with opioid use disorder are known, what’s less understood is how these programs affect the lives of the providers themselves. For a paper published in Academic Emergency Medicine last year, researchers interviewed providers about these programs and found that patients were not the only benefactors.