Leading Practices in Dealing with the Opioid Crisis

Canada’s opioid crisis continues to have devastating impacts on the health and well-being of Canadians. Tackling this public health emergency requires commitment from all affected parties from the Provincial/Territorial and Federal governments to front-line practitioners and first responders. HealthCareCAN is committed to doing everything it can to contribute to the collaborative response to one of the biggest public health threats facing Canada.

Our members leading the charge

Dealing with the opioids crisis – A view from the ground

As part of the Joint Statement of Action to Address the Opioid Crisis, HealthCareCAN is presenting this webinar to profile select leading practices in harm reduction, prevention and surveillance with the goal of facilitating their scale and spread.

Background information

Responding to the Opioid Crisis: Leading Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities – proceedings of HealthCareCAN’s Ministerial Roundtable on Opioids, 2017

Responding to the Opioid Crisis: Leading Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities

OpioidsBackground_EN

A Summary of the Ministerial Roundtable on Opioids

This document contains input from over 20 HealthCareCAN members and partners on critical aspects of a national response to the opioid crisis, including:

  • Leading practices in harm reduction, prevention and surveillance, and treatment with opportunity for national scale and spread,
  • Challenges unique to the hospital and health region sector, and
  • Commitments and/or actions that HealthCareCAN members and partners could take to help mitigate the opioid crisis.

Addressing the opioid challenge on a go-forward basis – potential actions by HealthCareCAN members:

HealthCareCAN is committed to doing everything it can to contribute to the collaborative response to the opioid crisis. HealthCareCAN is proud to be a signatory of the Joint Statement of Action to Address the Opioid Crisis. As a signatory, HealthCareCAN has made the following commitments

1

By May 2017

Establishing and working with existing public health and healthcare networks to convene meetings of members to facilitate the sharing of best practices, including, but not limited to, surveillance, treatment, and overdose prevention.

2

By June 2017

Holding a town hall forum on Opioids at the National Health Leadership Conference in Vancouver. This conference is attended by more than 700 health system leaders and those working at the front lines of Canadian healthcare.

3

By December 2017

Working with members to leverage and share education programs about the dangers of handling fentanyl and carfentanil for first responders.

4

By December 2017

Working with academic health sciences centres and other partners to identify a best practice curriculum on pain management and opioid related disorders.

5

By December 2018

Once identified, working with members to roll out this curriculum to healthcare providers across the country. As many initial addictions start in hospital, there is a need to ensure that hospital based providers are current on pain management best practices.

6

On an ongoing basis

Working with Health Canada, the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, other stakeholders and our members to identify best practices related to the handling and monitoring of medications within hospital, with the aim of reducing the loss and theft of opioid medications.

7

On an ongoing basis

Working with Health Canada and our members to ensure real-time alerts and the surveillance of opioid drugs and analogues within and outside of Canada.

8

On an ongoing basis

Ensuring interaction between our members and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) to aid in improving timeliness and accuracy of data regarding adverse opioid related health events requiring hospital based assessment and treatment.

Related Reading

Controlled Drugs and Substances in Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities: Guidelines on Secure Management and Diversion Prevention

March 7, 2019

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