Grant: Project Grant

Opioid poisoning (overdose) is a major clinical and public health concern for Canadians. The number of people dying from opioids is a current public health crisis. Past research has shown that people who survive a non-fatal poisoning are at high risk of having a fatal poisoning in the future. However, we don't know which models of care are most effective in keeping people healthy after a poisoning event. We will study whether people who survive a non-fatal poisoning receive care for their drug use while in hospital, follow-up care from family doctors, therapy for their drug use (methadone and buprenorphine), and mental health care. Next, we will examine whether such care can decrease future poisonings and opioid-related deaths. Finally, we will investigate whether there are regional differences in care in Ontario, including availability of harm reduction services such as needle exchanges and supervised injection services. Our results will provide important guidance for clinicians, policy makers, and public health officials to develop systems that improve the health care of people who use drugs.