Opioid-specific harm reduction in the emergency department: how staff provide harm reduction and contextual factors that impact their capacity to engage in harm reduction practice

Authors: Sunny Jiao, Vicky Bungay, Emily Jenkins and Marilou Gagnon
Publication: Harm Reduction Journal
Volume: 21

What we know

Emergency department staff are most directly involved in the care of people who use unregulated substances. As a result, they are ideally positioned to provide harm reduction interventions. Through self-administered staff surveys and one-on-one interviews, we sought to understand how emergency department staff engage in harm reduction practice, and what factors might impact their ability to do so.

What we discovered

Our findings indicated that three main factors shaped the capacity of emergency department staff to engage in harm reduction practice, including opportunities to work collaboratively with colleagues, adequate preparation in the form of receiving the necessary education, as well as support in helping patients connect with community-based services and resources.

What’s next

The ability for staff to leverage benefits afforded by teamwork, consistent access to education, and sufficient support in helping patients make connections for ongoing care are all important considerations for current and future harm reduction efforts in the emergency department.
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