“We're All in This Together”: A Mixed‐Methods Study of Provider and Patient Perceptions of Emergency Care for Opioid Use Disorder

ABSTRACT

Aims

To compare attitudes and perceptions towards opioid use disorder among people with opioid use disorder and emergency providers, describe interactions between the two groups, and identify barriers to providing and receiving care.

Design

Mixed methods observational study.

Methods

Participants were recruited from an academic, tertiary care hospital and a community-based harm reduction agency in New England. Emergency healthcare providers (nurses, physicians, and paramedics) and adult people with opioid use disorder were enrolled. Electronic surveys were administered to providers, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with opioid use disorder and a subset of providers. Descriptive statistics were calculated for surveys, and directed content analysis was used to analyse semi-structured interviews.

Results

Sixty-eight providers completed the survey, 11 of whom also completed a semi-structured interview. Twenty-two people with opioid use disorder completed the semi-structured interview. Both providers and people with opioid use disorder agreed that addiction is a disease; however, opinions differed on the extent to which personal choice played a role in the onset of opioid use disorder. Participants described how factors such as experiencing homelessness, alongside other personal or familial challenges, contributed to ongoing substance use and presented barriers to accessing healthcare. There was discordance in priorities between providers and people with opioid use disorder, which often drove conflict and perceived stigma. Both groups described physical and emotional trauma from prior interactions, which shaped expectations of future interactions and biases towards each other.

Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care

Educational initiatives should arm providers not only with clinical knowledge about opioid use disorder but with skills to recognize implicit biases, navigate unique barriers related to social determinants of health, and effectively deploy shared decision-making techniques. Healthcare organizations should provide support for trauma that emergency care providers are exposed to in caring for people with opioid use disorder.

Reporting Method

Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ)–32 item checklist.

Patient or Public Contribution

This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.