Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Public Health Ethics Approach To Substance Use Disorder, Adele Flaherty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the dissertation is to undertake an analysis of substance use disorders that focuses on a public health ethics perspective. The ethical argument focuses upon justifying the use of harm reduction and is primarily concerned with the current opioid crisis. While substance abuse/misuse over the course of history has been identified as a public health concern, this dissertation presents substance use disorders over the course of the lifespan, examining various contexts in which it can affect daily living and health outcomes. It achieves this by analyzing substance use disorders through the lens of the socioecological model of public …

Implementing Evidence-Based Treatment Of Patients With Opioid Use Disorder In An Inpatient Addiction Treatment Center, Emily Ashley

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Patients with opioid use disorder are at increased risk for overdose and death should they relapse due to reduced opioid tolerance after a period of abstinence. A retrospective chart review was performed at an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment center to identify areas in need of improvement. The global aim of this project was to promote patient adherence to treatment, as well as increase the prevention of patient overdose and death after inpatient treatment. Project objectives include improving provider management of opioid use disorder through standardizing patient education, increasing prescription of relapse prevention medication, initiating prescription of naloxone at discharge …

Understanding Polarizing Community Perspectives On Harm Reduction Strategies: Challenges To Addressing The Opioid Crisis In Appalachian Pennsylvania, Stephanie L. Creasy Mph, Jessica R. Thompson Med, Christina F. Mair Phd, Jessica G. Burke Phd

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Rural communities face barriers to opioid treatment and overdose prevention including concerns about stigma and lack of harm reduction services.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore community perspectives and understanding of harm reduction approaches to opioid use and overdose in a high-risk Northern Appalachian case community in Pennsylvania.

Methods: A small town approximately 10 miles from Pittsburgh was identified as the community with the greatest predicted probabilities of epidemic outbreak using posteriors from spatial models of hospitalizations for opioid use disorders. We interviewed 20 key stakeholders in the case community in using a semi-structured interview guide …

Opioid Use And Harm Reduction, Elise Bourassa, David Lee, Jason Rogers, Christian Silverthorne

Thinking Matters Symposium

Calls for various harm reduction approaches to the opioid epidemic are increasing in activist communities (Chapkis, 2020; Kennedy-Hendricks et al., 2019; Sederer & Marino, 2018). Given that harm reduction approaches, if implemented, will be provided by people in various helping professions, the current study investigates the relationship between choice of human service-focused college major and level of support for harm reduction interventions for people who use opioid drugs. A quantitative survey that aims to measure knowledge and perceptions of harm reduction strategies has been disseminated to students in social work, counseling, public health and nursing departments at the University of …