Widespread opioid use disorder (OUD) has spawned new epidemics of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV infections as well as increased hospitalizations for bacteremia, endocarditis, skin and soft tissue infections, and osteomyelitis, according to a report arising from a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) workshop titled Integrating Infectious Disease Considerations with Response to the Opioid Epidemic.
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Optimal treatment of these infections is often impeded by untreated OUD, Sandra A. Springer, MD, and her colleagues wrote in an article published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Failing to address OUD can result in longer hospital stays; frequent readmissions because of a lack of adherence to antibiotic regimens; or reinfection, morbidity, and high costs. “Medical settings that manage such infections offer a potential means of engaging people in treatment of OUD; however, few providers and hospitals treating such infections have the needed resources and capabilities,” Dr. Springer, director, infectious disease outpatient clinic, Veterans Administration, Newington, and of Yale University, New Haven, both in Conn., and her colleagues wrote.
The authors outlined five action steps resulting from the NASEM workshop:
- Implement screening for OUD in all relevant health care settings.
- For patients with positive screening results, immediately prescribe effective medication for OUD and/or opioid withdrawal symptoms.
- Develop hospital-based protocols that facilitate OUD treatment initiation and linkage to community-based treatment upon discharge.
- Hospitals, medical schools, physician assistant schools, nursing schools, and residency programs should increase training to identify and treat OUD.
- Increase access to addiction care and funding to states to provide effective medications to treat OUD.
Opioid withdrawal and pain syndromes should be addressed with opioid agonist therapies to optimize infectious disease (ID) treatment and relieve pain, according to Dr. Springer and her colleagues. In addition, “Because ID specialists are likely to be consulted for anyone requiring long-term antibiotic therapy or patients with HIV and HCV infection, OUD screening should be a standard part of an ID consult assessment,” the authors wrote.
“All health care providers have a role in combating the OUD epidemic and its ID consequences. Those who treat infectious complications of OUD are well suited to screen for OUD and begin treatment with effective FDA-approved medications,” the authors concluded.
The workshop was held in March 2018 in Washington and videos and slide presentations from the meeting are available.
Dr. Springer and her colleagues reported grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, but no commercial conflicts.
SOURCE: Springer SA et al. Ann Intern Med. 2018 Jul 13. doi: 10.7326/M18-1203.