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| Hans-Günter Meyer-Thompson | International

USA. First Opinion: Medically, legally, and morally, emergency departments cannot ignore addiction care

USA. First Opinion: Medically, legally, and morally, emergency departments cannot ignore addiction care

(…) The treatment a person receives in an emergency department can often make the difference between life and death. This is particularly true for people with addiction. Yet far too many emergency departments fail to provide essential evidence-based and lifesaving care for these patients.

That must change. Hospital emergency departments have an obligation to provide equitable care for all patients. Addiction is a treatable, medical illness. When patients come to emergency departments for overdose or other addiction-related health crises, hospitals can and must provide the evidence-based interventions that are backed by data, recommended by federal agencies, and endorsed by medical associations like the American College of Emergency Physicians, which this summer published consensus guidelines on treating opioid use disorder in the emergency department that one of us (G.D.) helped write. (Sika Yeboah-Sampong andGail D'Onofrio in: Stat News, USA, 13.08.2021)

https://www.statnews.com/2021/08/13/emergency-departments-cannot-ignore-addiction-care-medically-legally-morally/