Skip to main content
Back

Blog

Tackling opioid use disorder on the frontlines

Evidence-based treatment can improve the lives of those living with an opioid use disorder

…so begins a report prepared by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) last year documenting the many best practices in use across the country to manage a condition inexorably linked to the explosion of opioid-related deaths.

The Public Health Agency of Canada estimated 10,300 Canadians died from opioid-related causes between January 2016 and September 2018. More than 100 Ontarians are dying of an opioid overdose each month, and the crisis is not yet slowing. It is clear that we have an evidence-based consensus that more can and should be done to support those working on the front-lines of our health care system—family physician offices, nurse practitioner led clinics, and emergency departments, for example.

Counting on surgical teams

When it comes to taking opioids for the first time, it is not surprising that this frequently occurs after having surgery.

Opioids have become the go-to class of medications for controlling pain and after surgery, many patients require drugs to help deal with pain as they recover from a procedure. This has been documented in a major report by Health Quality Ontario released in 2017 – showing that surgeries are second only to dentists’ offices for the percentage of opioids prescribed to patients who had never used opioids before.

Now, 47 hospitals in Ontario who are part of the Ontario Surgical Quality Improvement Network have launched a campaign to reduce the quantity of opioids that surgical teams prescribe after surgery. These hospitals are responsible for almost 80% of the surgical operations that take place in the province annually.

Integrated care: Weaving a seamless web

Lee Fairclough

Moving away from a fragmented and siloed health care system to one that seamlessly connects patients to the services that they need is currently driving health care reform in Ontario.
How will this look for patients?

If you’re a patient with chronic knee pain, in most cases you will be seen and assessed by a family physician. However, in some cases you may be assessed at a rapid access clinic and, if you need surgery, seeing an orthopedic surgeon in a timely manner and having knee replacement surgery. After the operation, it means that you and your family work with health care professionals, so your needs and wishes are met when being discharged from hospital. When discharged you will have a transition plan that has been developed in collaboration with you and shared with your primary care provider. You will receive post-operative rehabilitation, education and training about self-care, and you will have a clear sense of the steps needed to ensure your recovery.

Showing how patient partnering is improving care

Over the last decade, patient partnering has grown in Ontario to the point where it is a significant part of the culture and practice of improving health care quality. It supports a high-quality health system by bringing a vital source of insight to the table and ensuring that the work being done is relevant to patient needs. If it’s done well, patient partnering produces better patient experiences, better health outcomes and increases public trust in the system.

Plus, patients want to be included as partners. They know they can make a difference in driving positive changes and to improving health outcomes.

But how does one pinpoint the desired effect of patient partnering? We all feel patient partnership is the right thing to do, but how do we know if it is being done in a way that is truly meaningful for both patients and health care professionals?

One way to evaluate the impact of patient partnering is to understand what insights are being collected and how they are being applied to the work of improving care, case by case and cumulatively over time. Evaluation helps us know whether changes made to improve care are grounded in patient needs.

Let’s make our health system healthier

Join Our Patient, Family and Public Advisors Program

Patients, families and the public are central to improving health quality.


Man smiling

Sign up for our newsletter

Are you passionate about quality health care for all Ontarians? Stay in-the-know about our newest programs, reports and news.

Health Quality Connect - Health Quality Ontario's newsletter - on an iPad and a cell phone