Overdose Prevention and Housing: a Qualitative Study Examining Drug Use, Overdose Risk, and Access to Safer Supply in Permanent Supportive Housing in Vancouver, Canada.

The majority of overdose deaths in British Columbia (BC) occur among people using illicit substances alone in private residences. Some supportive housing in BC includes on-site access to a variety of health and substance use-related services. More recently, a number of supportive housing locations have started offering prescribed safer supply medications to people at high overdose risk, though these remain limited and under-evaluated. In this study, we describe the drug use practices - including access to and use of on-site supervised consumption, OAT, and prescribed safer supply medications - of study participants living in permanent supportive housing with integrated primary care, substance use treatment services, and supervised consumption spaces. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 residents of a permanent supportive housing site in Vancouver, Canada. Data were analyzed using a sequential process to identify both a priori (e.g., low-barrier substance use treatment, pandemic effects on service access) and emerging themes (e.g., using alone). Most (N = 27) study participants reported using alone in their rooms, despite having access to an on-site supervised consumption area. Reasons for using alone include the following: preference for being alone, discretion/stigma, and restrictive housing policies. Less than half (N = 12) of the study participants accessed on-site prescribed safer supply medications. Participants receiving on-site prescribed safer supply described positive benefits including reduced use of illicit opioids, and less reliance on illicit income generation activities. On-site prescribed safer supply programs within supportive housing environments are an important tool in addressing overdose risk.

Primary care embedded within permanent supportive housing for people who use substances: A qualitative study examining healthcare access in Vancouver, Canada.

Marginally housed people who use drugs and alcohol (PWUD/A) face barriers in accessing healthcare services, which may be improved by providing healthcare in housing settings. This case study examines the experiences of healthcare access amongst PWUD/A who live in a permanent supportive housing model in Vancouver, Canada. This model has an embedded multidisciplinary clinic providing in-reach services. Thirty participants were recruited via posters placed throughout the building and semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted remotely. Interviews were conducted with participants who accessed onsite care regularly (n = 15) and those who do not (n = 15). Data were analysed to identify both a priori and emerging themes. Participants who accessed the onsite clinic reported benefiting from stigma-free care. Close proximity and convenience of drop-in appointments enabled participants to engage with healthcare services more consistently, though hours of operation and privacy concerns were barriers for others. Participants who did not use the onsite clinic highlighted the importance of continuity of care with their pre-existing primary care team, particularly if their clinic was in close geographic proximity. However, they also described utilising these services for urgent health needs or as an occasional alternative source of care. Shared perspectives across all participants emphasised the importance of low-barrier services, including medication delivery, convenience and positive therapeutic relationships. Our findings suggest that embedding access to primary care within supportive housing benefits PWUD/A who have previously encountered barriers to healthcare access. This model could be implemented to prevent utilisation of acute healthcare resources and improve health outcomes amongst PWUD/A.

Medical Detoxification for Nonopioid Substances Is Associated With Lower Likelihood of Subsequent Linkage to Substance Use Disorder Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Although factors associated with completion of medical detoxification treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) are well described, there is limited information on barriers and facilitators to subsequent linkage to SUD treatment in the community. This study aimed to evaluate correlates of successful linkage to community SUD treatment on discharge. METHODS: Data were drawn from 2 prospective cohorts of people who use unregulated drugs in Vancouver, Canada between December 2012 and May 2018. Multivariable generalized estimating equations were used to investigate factors associated with linkage to community SUD treatment in the 6-month period after attending detoxification treatment. RESULTS: Of the 264 detoxification treatment encounters contributed by 178 people who use unregulated drugs, these were most often (n = 104, 39%) related to polysubstance use, and the majority (n = 174, 66%) resulted in subsequent linkage to community treatment. In the multivariable analysis, compared to attending detoxification treatment for opioid use, attending detoxification treatment for stimulants (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] : 0.10-0.51) and alcohol (AOR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.06-0.54) were associated with lower odds of subsequent linkage to community treatment. Conversely, later calendar year of detoxification treatment remained associated with higher odds (AOR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.06-1.42). CONCLUSIONS: Only two-thirds of detoxification treatment encounters in Vancouver were subsequently linked to community SUD treatment, with those related to nonopioid substances being less likely. Findings suggest the need for tailored interventions for specific substances to improve linkage to SUD treatment in the community on discharge.

Simulation Innovation: A Novel Simulation Guide for Building Community Simulation Capacity in Pandemic Preparedness.

STATEMENT: The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2, has spread globally and requires effective preparedness within healthcare institutions. The British Columbia Simulation Network COVID-19 Simulation Guide was created to disseminate information throughout the province of British Columbia, Canada, and to allow simulation educators, from novice to expert, to participate in COVID-19 simulations. As of July 15, 2020, the guide had been downloaded 465 times from the British Columbia Simulation Network website, with downloads in 41 countries around the world. The guide has been frequently updated and revised to reflect evolving guidelines as new knowledge about COVID-19 was established.

COVID-19 and overdose prevention: Challenges and opportunities for clinical practice in housing settings.

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will exacerbate the negative health outcomes associated with the concurrent opioid overdose crisis in North America. COVID-19 brings unique challenges for practitioners who provide opioid use disorder (OUD) care. The majority of overdose deaths in the Canadian province of British Columbia occur in housing environments. Some supportive housing environments in Vancouver, British Columbia, have on-site primary care and substance use disorder treatment clinics. Some of these housing environments also include supervised consumption services. These housing environments needed to make adjustments to their care to adhere to COVID-19 physical distancing measures. Such adjustments included a pandemic withdrawal management program to provide patients with a pharmaceutical grade alternative to the toxic illicit drug supply, which allow patients to avoid the heightened overdose risk while using illicit drugs alone or potentially exposing themselves to COVID-19 while using drugs in a group setting. Other modifications to the OUD care continuum included modified supervised injection spaces to adhere to physical distancing, the use of personal protective equipment for overdose response, virtual platforms for clinical encounters, writing longer prescriptions, and providing take-home doses to promote opioid agonist treatment retention. These strategies aim to mitigate indoor overdose risk while also addressing COVID-19 risks.

Effect of a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Coach on Workload During Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Arrest: A Multicenter, Simulation-Based Study.

OBJECTIVES: Optimal cardiopulmonary resuscitation can improve pediatric outcomes but rarely is cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed perfectly despite numerous iterations of Basic and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. Cardiac arrests resuscitation events are complex, often chaotic environments with significant mental and physical workload for team members, especially team leaders. Our primary objective was to determine the impact of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation coach on cardiopulmonary resuscitation provider workload during simulated pediatric cardiac arrest. DESIGN: Multicenter observational study. SETTING: Four pediatric simulation centers. SUBJECTS: Team leaders, cardiopulmonary resuscitation coach, and team members during an 18-minute pediatric resuscitation scenario. INTERVENTIONS: National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Forty-one teams (205 participants) were recruited with one team (five participants) excluded from analysis due to protocol violation. Demographic data revealed no significant differences between the groups in regard to age, experience, distribution of training (nurse, physician, and respiratory therapist). For most workload subscales, there were no significant differences between groups. However, cardiopulmonary resuscitation providers had a higher physical workload (89.3 vs 77.9; mean difference, -11.4; 95% CI, -17.6 to -5.1; p = 0.001) and a lower mental demand (40.6 vs 55.0; mean difference, 14.5; 95% CI, 4.0-24.9; p = 0.007) with a coach (intervention) than without (control). Both the team leader and coach had similarly high mental demand in the intervention group (75.0 vs 73.9; mean difference, 0.10; 95% CI, -0.88 to 1.09; p = 0.827). When comparing the cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality of providers with high workload (average score > 60) and low to medium workload (average score < 60), we found no significant difference between the two groups in percentage of guideline compliant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (42.5% vs 52.7%; mean difference, -10.2; 95% CI, -23.1 to 2.7; p = 0.118). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation coach increases physical workload and decreases mental workload of cardiopulmonary resuscitation providers. There was no change in team leader workload.

Do rats (Rattus norvegicus) perceive biological motion?

It is unknown whether the rodent visual system can perceive biological motion, an ability present in primates, cats, and several bird species. Using a water-maze visual discrimination task, we find that rats can be trained to distinguish between left- and rightward motion of abstract point-light displays of walking humans. However, rats were unable to generalize to a novel point-light display (a walking cat), or to a display of a backward walking human, where overall body configuration and local, ballistic foot motion provide directly opposing cues regarding movement direction. Together, these experiments provide the first demonstration of the ability of rodents to extract motion direction cues from abstract, point-light displays. However, when isolated, neither the overall body configuration nor the local motion of the feet appears to provide sufficient information for rats to reliably extract movement direction in biological motion displays.