Medication-Assisted Treatment 101

• MAT lowers the effects of opioid withdrawal symptoms and cravings. It is safe and easy for both clinicians and patients.
• Follow the Buprenorphine Hospital Quick Start protocol to start patients on buprenorphine in the emergency department.¹²
• Review protocols for patient Gentle Self-Starts, Rapid Self-Starts, and how to initiate Buprenorphine After Opioid Overdose Reversal.^7–9
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has exempted prescribers from training requirements to make it even easier to prescribe this lifesaving medication. Learn about How to Apply to Get Your X Waiver to get started.¹³

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*Using MAT to mean “medication-assisted treatment” is an older version of that acronym. The newer, more accurate term is “medication for addiction treatment.” The authors of this article realize that “medication-assisted treatment” is still colloquially used by many emergency physicians.

References

1. HMA Institute on Addiction. Addiction neuroscience 101. YouTube website. Accessed October 2021.
2. Preventable deaths: odds of dying. National Safety Council Injury Facts website. Accessed November 2021.
3. Snyder H, Kalmin MM, Moulin A, et al. Rapid adoption of low-threshold buprenorphine treatment at California emergency departments participating in the CA Bridge program. Ann Emerg Med. 2021;78(6):759-772.
4. Waller RC. Buprenorphine explained, and opioid addiction treatment tips. ACEP Now. 2018;37(6).
5. Clinical opioid withdrawal score. CA Bridge website. Accessed November 2021.
6. On-shift. CA Bridge website.
7. Rapid buprenorphine home start. CA Bridge website. Accessed November 2021.
8. Gentle buprenorphine home start. CA Bridge website. Accessed November 2021.
9. Starting buprenorphine immediately after reversal of opioid overdose with naloxone. CA Bridge website. Accessed November 2021.
10. Mikolaycik Kurtz A, Snyder H, Lee S, et al. Blueprint for hospital opioid use disorder treatment. CA Bridge website. Accessed November 2021.
11. Request technical assistance. CA Bridge website. Accessed November 2021.
12. Buprenorphine hospital quick start. CA Bridge website. Accessed November 2021.
13. How to apply to get your X waiver. CA Bridge website. Accessed November 2021.