Implementation of a nurse-led overdose prevention site in a hospital setting: lessons learned from St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada

• Published in: Harm reduction journal Vol. 19; no. 1; p. 13
• Main Authors: Dogherty, Elizabeth, Patterson, Carlin, Gagnon, Marilou, Harrison, Scott, Chase, Jocelyn, Boerstler, Jill, Gibson, Jennifer, Gill, Sam, Nolan, Seonaid, Ryan, Andy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 05.02.2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Addiction; Advanced practice nurses; Brief Report; Canada; Care and treatment; COVID-19; Data collection; Drug abuse; Drug overdose; Drug Overdose - epidemiology; Drug Overdose - prevention & control; Drug treatment centers; Drugs; Emergency medical services; Ethics; Harm reduction; Hospital; Hospitals; Humans; Injection drug use; Management; Medical ethics; Medical personnel; Mental health care; Naloxone; Naloxone - therapeutic use; Nurse's Role; Nursing care; Overdose; Overdose prevention; Pandemics; Patients; Prevention; SARS-CoV-2; Social aspects; Canada; British Columbia Canada; Vancouver British Columbia Canada; Substance use; Injection drug use; Addiction; Harm reduction; Overdose; Hospital; Overdose prevention
• ISSN: 1477-7517; 1477-7517
• DOI: 10.1186/s12954-022-00596-7

In May 2018, St. Paul's Hospital (SPH) in Vancouver (Canada) opened an outdoor peer-led overdose prevention site (OPS) operated in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health and RainCity Housing. At the end of 2020, the partnered OPS moved to a new location, which created a gap in service for SPH inpatients and outpatients. To address this gap, which was magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic, SPH opened a nurse-led OPS in February 2021. This paper describes the steps leading to the implementation of the nurse-led OPS, its impact, and lessons learned. Four steps paved the way for the opening of the OPS: (1) identifying the problem, (2) seeking ethics guidance, (3) adapting policies and practices, and (4) supporting and training staff. The OPS is open between 10:00 and 20:00 and staffed by two nurses per shift. It is accessible to all patients including inpatients, patients in the Emergency Department, and patients attending outpatient services. Between February 1, 2021 and October 23, 2021, the OPS recorded 1612 visits for the purpose of injection, for an average weekly visit number of 42. A total of 46 overdoses were recorded in that 9-month period. Thirty-seven (80%) required administration of naloxone and 12 (26%) required a code blue response. Due to the unique nature of our OPS, we learned many important lessons in the process leading to the opening of the site and the months that followed. We conclude the paper with lessons learned grouped into six main categories, namely engagement, communication, access, staff education and support, data collection, and safety.