Actions to Integrate Treatment of Opioid and Infectious Disease Epidemics
Authors: Simeon D. Kimmel, Raagini Jawa, Alexander Y. Walley, Tamar F. Barlam
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2019)

Letters2 April 2019Actions to Integrate Treatment of Opioid and Infectious Disease EpidemicsSimeon D. Kimmel, MD, MA, Raagini Jawa, MD, MPH, Alexander Y. Walley, MD, MSc, and Tamar F. Barlam, MD, MScSimeon D. Kimmel, MD, MABoston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (S.D.K., R.J.)Search for more papers by this author, Raagini Jawa, MD, MPHBoston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (S.D.K., R.J.)Search for more papers by this author, Alexander Y. Walley, MD, MScBoston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts (A.Y.W., T.F.B.)Search for more papers by this author, and Tamar F. Barlam, MD, MScBoston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts (A.Y.W., T.F.B.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L19-0040 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We applaud Springer and colleagues' (1) call to integrate addiction treatment into routine care for patients with infectious complications from opioid use disorder (OUD). The authors recommend 5 actions to address the overlapping epidemics of infectious disease (ID) and substance use disorders: implement OUD screening in all health care settings; immediately prescribe medications for OUD and opioid withdrawal symptoms; develop protocols to facilitate in-hospital initiation of therapy with methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone with linkage to longitudinal care; increase training in the diagnosis and treatment of OUD for medical trainees; and increase access to addiction care and funding ...References1. Springer SA, Korthuis PT, Del Rio C. Integrating treatment at the intersection of opioid use disorder and infectious disease epidemics in medical settings: a call for action after a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:335-6. [PMID: 30007032]. doi:10.7326/M18-1203 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Rapoport AB, Rowley CF. Stretching the scope—becoming frontline addiction-medicine providers. N Engl J Med. 2017;377:705-7. [PMID: 28834479] doi:10.1056/NEJMp1706492 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Fanucchi L, Lofwall MR. Putting parity into practice—integrating opioid-use disorder treatment into the hospital setting. N Engl J Med. 2016;375:811-3. [PMID: 27579631] doi:10.1056/NEJMp1606157 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (S.D.K., R.J.)Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts (A.Y.W., T.F.B.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L19-0040. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoIntegrating Treatment at the Intersection of Opioid Use Disorder and Infectious Disease Epidemics in Medical Settings: A Call for Action After a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Workshop Sandra A. Springer , P. Todd Korthuis , and Carlos del Rio Actions to Integrate Treatment of Opioid and Infectious Disease Epidemics Joshua A. Barocas Actions to Integrate Treatment of Opioid and Infectious Disease Epidemics Sandra A. Springer , P. Todd Korthuis , and Carlos del Rio Metrics Cited byInfectious Complications of Addiction: A Call for a New Subspecialty Within Infectious Diseases 2 April 2019Volume 170, Issue 7Page: 508-509KeywordsEndocarditisFellowshipsHealth screeningHepatitis C virusInfectious diseasesOpioid addictionOpioid use disorderOpioidsOutpatient clinicsPatients ePublished: 2 April 2019 Issue Published: 2 April 2019 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2019 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...