Over the last three years, substance use-related visits to HSN have increased close to 50%.
In order to help address this crucial issue in Northern Ontario, HSN established the Addictions Medicine Unit (AMU), and the Addiction Medicine Consult Service (AMCS).
A research study led by Dr. Kristen Morin, HSNRI research scientist, and Dr. Tara Leary, Physician Lead, Regional Addictions Services, set out to determine whether these initiatives were effective at reducing rates of hospital revisits.
The results are promising. Of over 5000 patients assessed, those who received care from these two programs were less likely to require hospital revisits within 30-days.
The results also highlighted a need for collaboration with community services to address the complex social and medical factors that affect patients’ need to return to the hospital after those initial 30 days.
Recognized as a leading practice, the AMU is made up of a multidisciplinary team focused on harm reduction for medically complex patients with substance use disorders, and, along with the AMCS, is a key piece of our organization’s social accountability mandate.
Thank you to all members of #TeamHSN involved in improving care for patients faced with substance use disorders in our community.