Being Part of the Solution: Initiating Medication-Assisted Treatment in the Emergency Department

Abstract

The current literature on the management of opioid use syndrome includes methods to prevent opioid use, complementary therapy for acute and chronic pain, and outpatient services to assist patients. This article contributes to a method of medication-assisted treatment that can be initiated from an emergency department visit. Key implications for emergency nursing practice found in this article include understanding medication-assisted treatment principles, pathophysiology of opioid use disorder, and pharmacology of buprenorphine.