A Prehospital Quality Improvement Framework to Reduce Mortality and Other Harms Associated with Opioid Use Disorder

In response to the escalating overdose crisis there is an urgent need for innovative strategies to reduce overdose death. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is uniquely poised to reduce mortality and other harms associated with opioid use through prevention, harm reduction, and treatment, yet there is a paucity of nationally recognized best practices or quality measures to guide prehospital quality improvement (QI) efforts related to opioid use disorder (OUD).

A multidisciplinary team of subject matter experts in addiction medicine, EMS, public health, and QI was convened to develop recommendations for a model QI framework for prehospital OUD prevention, harm reduction, and treatment based on the Model for Improvement framework.

This article introduces a comprehensive EMS QI framework, aimed at not only addressing acute opioid-related emergencies but also fostering long-term strategies to mitigate mortality and other adverse outcomes among individuals with OUD.

Grounded in evidence-based practices and informed by collaborative expertise, this framework represents a pivotal step toward enhancing the effectiveness and responsiveness of EMS in combating the multifaceted challenges posed by OUD.