Access to supervised consumption services in the emergency department: patient characteristics and outcomes

Supervised consumption services have rarely been integrated into hospital environments. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of the first 50 emergency department (ED) patients who accessed a hospital-based supervised consumption service. A secondary goal was to evaluate any adverse events.

This study was carried out in a large urban acute care emergency department. Using a standardized data abstraction template, characteristics of the patient, emergency department visit, and supervised consumption visit were independently extracted by two reviewers from the patient's chart and electronic health record. Descriptive statistics are shown.

The first 50 emergency department patients to access the hospital-based supervised consumption service made a total of 66 visits between October 3, 2019, and September 10, 2020. Most were male (31, 62%) and were sleeping in shelters or outside (30, 60%); 15 (30%) were prescribed opioid agonist treatment in the community. Hospital admission was necessary for 19 patients (38%). Adverse events were infrequent.

Emergency department patients are open to using supervised consumption services. Further research is needed to explore how access to supervised substance use in the emergency department influences patient and staff safety.