Patients With Substance Use Disorder

2021 ◽  
pp. 351-363
Author(s):  
Hunter Woodall
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
Physician Assistants ◽  
Psychosocial Issues ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Multidisciplinary Communication ◽  
Drug Diversion ◽  
Palliative Care Teams ◽  
Screening And Diagnosis

Palliative care providers, including physician assistants, frequently encounter substance use disorder (SUD) in patients or their families. Many of these patients with SUD remain undiagnosed at the time of palliative care referral, with most patients with these issues having preexisting conditions. Management of these patients requires proper screening and diagnosis, and teams must establish clear expectations. This chapter teaches palliative care teams to detect SUD and differentiate addiction behaviors from incompletely managed symptoms; diagnose and manage associated psychosocial issues; communicate clear expectations regarding treatment; safely prescribe controlled medications; manage intoxication or withdrawal; and develop plans to deal with drug diversion. Ongoing timely multidisciplinary communication is paramount in managing these challenging illnesses.

Barriers and Facilitators of Using Telehealth to Identify and Manage Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder Conditions in Rural Areas: An Environmental Scan (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naim Naim ◽  
Laura Dunlap
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Care Patient ◽  
Direct Patient Care ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Provider Education ◽  
Opioid Use

BACKGROUND Access to behavioral health services, particularly substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services, is challenging in rural and other underserved areas. Some of the reasons for these challenges include local primary care providers without experience in behavioral health treatment, few specialty providers, and concerns over stigma and lack of privacy for individuals from smaller communities. Telehealth can ease these challenges and support behavioral health, specifically SUD treatment, in a variety of ways, including direct patient care, patient engagement, and provider education. Telehealth is particularly relevant for the growing opioid epidemic, which has profoundly affected rural areas. OBJECTIVE We sought to understand how telehealth is used to support behavioral health and SUDs, with a particular focus on implications for medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders. The intent was to understand telehealth implementation and use, financing and sustainability, and impact in the field. The results of this work can be used to inform future policy and practice. METHODS We reviewed literature and interviewed telehealth stakeholders and end users in the field. The team identified a diverse set of participants, including clinical staff, administrators, telehealth coordinators, and information technology staff. We analyzed research notes to extract themes from participant experiences to answer the study questions. RESULTS Organizations varied in how they implemented telehealth services and the services they offered. Common themes arose in implementation, such as planning for technical and organizational impacts of telehealth, the importance of leadership support, and tailoring programs to community needs. CONCLUSIONS Telehealth is used in a variety of ways to expand access to services and extend service delivery. As the policy and reimbursement landscape continues to evolve, there may be corresponding changes in telehealth uptake and services provided. CLINICALTRIAL NA

scholarly journals Substance use disorder in anaesthetists: A personal perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-22
Author(s):  
Colin RW Baird
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
Affected Individual ◽  
Personal Perspective ◽  
Careful Planning ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Drug Diversion ◽  
Clinical Anaesthesia ◽  
Toxicology Screening

In this article, I present a firsthand account as an anaesthetist with substance use disorder who has been through rehabilitation and returned to clinical anaesthesia, followed by an overview of substance use disorder in anaesthesia. Substance use disorder is prevalent within the anaesthesia community and can result in tragic consequences, including death in many cases. The incidence is around one to two per 1000 anaesthetist years and this appears to be rising, perhaps mirroring the population-wide increase in substance use disorder as a result of the opioid epidemic. Recognising substance use disorder in a colleague and intervening to try and help them and protect patients can be immensely challenging. Carrying out a successful intervention requires careful planning and coordination in order to protect the affected individual, their colleagues and patients. Returning to clinical anaesthesia following a diagnosis of substance use disorder is also contentious, with the high abstinence rate (relative to the wider substance use disorder population) having to be balanced against the risk of death following relapse. Any return to practice must be well planned and supported, and include appropriate toxicology screening. With such measures, rehabilitation and a return to clinical anaesthesia is possible in certain cases. For the affected individual regaining, then maintaining, their professional identity can be a powerful motivator to remain abstinent. Drug diversion and substance use disorder in anaesthesia is unlikely ever to be fully preventable, but strategies such as biometric dispensing, analysis of unused drugs, random toxicology and ongoing education may help to keep it to a minimum.

Opioid use disorder and chronic pain: challenges for palliative care practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 453-457
Author(s):  
Brenda Peters-Watral
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Pain Management ◽  
Cancer Pain ◽  
Opioid Use Disorder ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Multiple Cancer

Along with a well-documented increase in opioid use disorder (OUD) and a rapidly escalating rate of fatal overdose in North America, inadequate management of chronic pain remains a pervasive problem. The increasing number of individuals living with OUD also experience multiple cancer risk factors, which are related to their substance use, while people with cancer diagnoses have similar risks of current or past addiction as the general population. Recent pain guidelines focus on chronic non-cancer pain and do not include recommendations for cancer pain management. Managing cancer pain at the end of life is more challenging in people with current or past substance use disorder (SUD), especially OUD. Addressing these challenges requires confronting stigmas and stereotypes, building knowledge among palliative care providers and assessing the risks and benefits of opioids for pain management on an individual basis in order to continue to provide the holistic care.

What does 'palliative care' mean? Diverse definitions from cancer care providers.

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (26_suppl) ◽  
pp. 40-40
Author(s):  
Erin E. Kent ◽  
Rebecca A. Ferrer ◽  
Michelle Mollica ◽  
Grace Huang ◽  
Angela Falisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Care Provider ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Physician Assistants ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Clinical Nurses ◽  
Curative Care ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Hospice And Palliative Care

40 Background: Existing literature on the epistemology of palliative care has mostly centered on patient/family perspectives. Understanding how multi-disciplinary healthcare providers themselves define palliative care is a critical step towards addressing barriers and harnessing facilitators that affect optimal delivery. Methods: Semi-structured key informant interviews (N = 19) were conducted with members of healthcare provider teams as part of a qualitative study on goals of care for cancer patients enrolled in clinical trials. Purposive sampling included diverse roles: attending physicians/principal investigators, oncology fellows, physician assistants, research and clinical nurses, patient care coordinators, palliative care physicians, social workers, chaplains, and pharmacists. One probe asked participants, “What does palliative care mean to you in your work?” Responses were transcribed and independently coded by two raters using interview-derived deductive and emergent inductive codes. Themes were then identified and analyzed using NVivo. Results: Informants included different elements in their definitions: attributes of palliative care (“Palliative care is helpful”); structure (“We have a pain and palliative team”); patient outcomes “(comfort”), and relation to other services (“adjunct to necessary medical care”). Additional themes also included (1) the charge of palliative care to alleviate suffering; (2) the recognition that palliative care should be holistic; (3) the centrality of symptom management, in particular pain; (4) the conflation of end-of-life, hospice, and palliative care; (5) tensions between palliative and curative care. Provider role and specific team membership appear to influence perspectives on definitions of palliative care. Conclusions: Providers share a wide range of perspectives on the operationalization of palliative care in their work. In addition to soliciting input from patients and family members, the viewpoints of a diverse set of providers should be ascertained often to inform models of care, alleviate tensions between palliative and curative care provider teams, and increase optimal usage of palliative care.

Cardiopulmonary System

2021 ◽  
pp. 181-197
Author(s):  
Kimberly Angelia Curseen ◽  
Jabeen Taj
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Physician Assistants ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
System P ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
Advance Care ◽  
End Of Life Issues ◽  
Palliative Care Needs

The broad range of palliative care needs are similar in cardiopulmonary disease as in other forms of serious illness. As new interventions reshape their clinical course and prognosis, palliative care has become the new standard of care for patients with serious cardiac/pulmonary diseases. Palliative care providers, including physician assistants, will need to be adept in advanced symptom management and communication skills that are unique to this for both patients and caregivers. This specialty provides opportunities for more nuanced advance care planning and goals-of-care discussions. In addition, earlier primary palliative care will provide more time to address end-of-life issues that are inherent to the care of this population—leading to a smoother transition to hospice.

scholarly journals Palliative care for people with substance use disorder and multiple problems: a qualitative study on experiences of patients and proxies

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Ebenau ◽  
Boukje Dijkstra ◽  
Chantal ter Huurne ◽  
Jeroen Hasselaar ◽  
Kris Vissers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Substance Use Disorder

scholarly journals ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’: Specialist palliative care service innovation and practice change in response to COVID-19. Results from a multinational survey (CovPall)

2021 ◽  
pp. 026921632110006
Author(s):  
Lesley Dunleavy ◽  
Nancy Preston ◽  
Sabrina Bajwah ◽  
Andy Bradshaw ◽  
Rachel Cripps ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
System Response ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Specialist Palliative Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Palliative Care Teams ◽  
Palliative Care Services ◽  
Palliative Care Units

Background: Specialist palliative care services have a key role in a whole system response to COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. There is a need to understand service response to share good practice and prepare for future care. Aim: To map and understand specialist palliative care services innovations and practice changes in response to COVID-19. Design: Online survey of specialist palliative care providers (CovPall), disseminated via key stakeholders. Data collected on service characteristics, innovations and changes in response to COVID-19. Statistical analysis included frequencies, proportions and means, and free-text comments were analysed using a qualitative framework approach. Setting/participants: Inpatient palliative care units, home nursing services, hospital and home palliative care teams from any country. Results: Four hundred and fifty-eight respondents: 277 UK, 85 Europe (except UK), 95 World (except UK and Europe), 1 missing country. 54.8% provided care across 2+ settings; 47.4% hospital palliative care teams, 57% in-patient palliative care units and 57% home palliative care teams. The crisis context meant services implemented rapid changes. Changes involved streamlining, extending and increasing outreach of services, using technology to facilitate communication, and implementing staff wellbeing innovations. Barriers included; fear and anxiety, duplication of effort, information overload and funding. Enablers included; collaborative teamwork, staff flexibility, a pre-existing IT infrastructure and strong leadership. Conclusions: Specialist palliative care services have been flexible, highly adaptive and have adopted low-cost solutions, also called ‘frugal innovations’, in response to COVID-19. In addition to financial support, greater collaboration is essential to minimise duplication of effort and optimise resource use. ISRCTN16561225 https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN16561225

scholarly journals Palliative Care Providers’ Practices Surrounding Psychological Distress Screening and Treatment: A National Survey

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 938-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elissa Kozlov ◽  
Claude Eghan ◽  
Sheila Moran ◽  
Keela Herr ◽  
M. Carrington Reid
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Nurse Practitioners ◽  
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Palliative Care Teams

Objective: To investigate how inpatient palliative care teams nationwide currently screen for and treat psychological distress. Methods: A web-based survey was sent to inpatient palliative care providers of all disciplines nationwide asking about their practice patterns regarding psychological assessment and treatment. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and responses, and analysis of variance was conducted to determine whether certain disciplines were more likely to utilize specific treatment modalities. Results: A total of N = 236 respondents were included in the final analyses. Providers reported that they encounter psychological distress regularly in their practice and that they screen for distress using multiple methods. When psychological distress is detected, providers reported referring patients to an average of 3 different providers (standard deviation = 1.46), most frequently a social worker (69.6%) or chaplain (65.3%) on the palliative care team. A total of 84.6% of physicians and 54.5% of nurse practitioners reported that they prescribe anxiolytics or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors to patients experiencing psychological distress. Discussion and Conclusions: This study revealed significant variability and redundancy in how palliative care teams currently manage psychological distress. The lack of consistency potentially stems from the variability in the composition of palliative care teams across care settings and the lack of scientific evidence for best practices in psychological care in palliative care. Future research is needed to establish best practices in the screening and treatment of psychological distress for patients receiving palliative care.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document