Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2024 Jan 2;50(1):8-11. doi: 10.1080/00952990.2023.2286585. Epub 2024 Jan 11.
Emergency medical services (EMS) can be an invaluable ally of addiction medicine clinicians, but the potential role of EMS in combating the opioid epidemic has been under-realized. EMS has historically focused on emergency response and resuscitation in cases of overdose; however, EMS is also well-positioned to build rapport with persons who use drugs (PWUD), provide harm reduction services, and connect PWUD with additional treatment services and resources. A select number of EMS organizations have begun to offer substance-related programming that extends beyond resuscitation, but these offerings remain limited in scope and impact. This perspective argues that addiction medicine clinicians can bolster the ability of EMS to provide high quality substance-related services by engaging in prehospital care education, program development and research, and clinical care. This perspective shares practical strategies for addiction medicine clinicians to partner with EMS and considers several potential barriers that must be overcome, including bureaucratic challenges, variability in the scope of practice of EMS providers across different locations, and limited funding.
紧急医疗服务（EMS）可以成为成瘾医学临床医生的宝贵盟友，但 EMS 在应对阿片类药物流行方面的潜在作用尚未得到充分发挥。EMS 历史上专注于过量情况下的紧急响应和复苏；然而，EMS 也非常适合与使用药物的人（PWUD）建立关系，提供减少伤害服务，并将 PWUD 与其他治疗服务和资源联系起来。少数 EMS 组织已经开始提供超出复苏范围的与物质相关的项目，但这些项目的范围和影响仍然有限。本观点认为，成瘾医学临床医生可以通过参与院前护理教育、项目开发和研究以及临床护理，增强 EMS 提供高质量物质相关服务的能力。本观点分享了成瘾医学临床医生与 EMS 合作的实用策略，并考虑了一些必须克服的潜在障碍，包括官僚挑战、不同地点 EMS 提供者的实践范围的可变性，以及有限的资金。
