A new quality improvement initiative to improve care for hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and withdrawal just launched in July at Duke University Hospital. Project COMET stands for Caring for Patients with Opioid Misuse through Evidence-Based Treatment and is led by GIM Medical Instructors, Dana Clifton, MD, and Noel Ivey, MD.
"The overall goal of the project is to improve the quality of care for these patients by treating the underlying reason they are hospitalized," explains Clifton. DUH now has several hospitalists (close to 15) who are waivered (DEA-X licensed) to prescribe Suboxone, a treatment for opioid dependence. "We are treating them with medication in the hospital and will help them better transition to the community so they can continue to get medication and counseling following their discharge."
"The overall goal of the project is to improve the quality of care for these patients by treating the underlying reason they are hospitalized."
- Dana Clifton, MD
MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
Medical Director: Dana Clifton, MD
Associate Medical Director: Noel Ivey, MD
Social Worker: Shavone Hamilton, LCSW
Mentor: Noppon (Pooh) Setji, MD
The primary aims are:
- Increase initiation of medication for patients with opioid use disorder and acute opioid withdrawal hospitalized at Duke University Hospital
- Improve transition to the community following discharge for continued treatment of OUD
With the launch of project COMET, DUH now has a full-time hospital medicine provider and social worker who will have a primary team (composed of all general medicine patients with OUD) and also see consult requests from other services. They hope to start seeing OB patients in consultation in early 2020.
Consult Criteria
A provider can order a consult to the opioid use disorder/withdrawal service when there is suspicion for opioid use disorder (includes heroin, fentanyl, illicit opioid prescription use) and/or acute opioid withdrawal at Duke University Hospital. The Project COMET team can aid in both diagnosis and management.
Triangle SHM Recognition
Dr. Clifton presented the work of COMET at the Triangle SHM meeting earlier this week and won best poster in the research category!