Opioid Use Disorder (Opioid Addiction)

Care for People 16 Years of Age and Older

Click below to see a list of brief quality statements and scroll down for more information.

Quality Statements in Brief

Quality standards are sets of concise statements designed to help health care professionals easily and quickly know what care to provide, based on the best evidence.

See below for the quality statements and click for more detail.

Quality Statement 1: Identifying and Diagnosing Opioid Use Disorder
People at risk of opioid use disorder are asked about their opioid use and are further assessed as appropriate.

Quality Statement 2: Comprehensive Assessment and Collaborative Care Plan
People diagnosed with or identified as having opioid use disorder have a comprehensive assessment and a care plan developed in collaboration with their care providers.

Quality Statement 3: Addressing Physical Health, Mental Health, Additional Addiction Treatment Needs, and Social Needs
People with opioid use disorder have integrated, concurrent, culturally safe management of their physical health, mental health, additional addiction treatment needs, and social needs.

Quality Statement 4: Information to Participate in Care
People with opioid use disorder are provided with information to enable them to participate in their care. If their family is involved, they are also provided with this information.

Quality Statement 5: Opioid Agonist Therapy as First-Line Treatment
People with opioid use disorder are informed that treatment that includes opioid agonist therapy is safer and more effective than treatments that do not include opioid agonist therapy.

Quality Statement 6: Access to Opioid Agonist Therapy
People diagnosed with or identified as having opioid use disorder have access to opioid agonist therapy as soon as possible, within a maximum of 3 days.

Quality Statement 7: Treatment of Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms
People with opioid use disorder who are in moderate or severe withdrawal from opioids are offered relief of their symptoms with buprenorphine/naloxone within 2 hours.

Quality Statement 8: Access to Take-Home Naloxone and to Overdose Education
People with opioid use disorder and their families have immediate access to take-home naloxone and to overdose education.

Quality Statement 9: Tapering Off of Opioid Agonist Therapy
People who have achieved sustained stability on opioid agonist therapy who wish to taper off are supported in a collaborative slow taper if clinically appropriate.

Quality Statement 10: Concurrent Mental Health Disorders
People with opioid use disorder who also have a mental health disorder are offered concurrent treatment for their mental health disorder.

Quality Statement 11: Harm Reduction
People who use opioids have same-day access to harm reduction services. A comprehensive harm reduction approach includes education, safe supplies, infectious disease testing, vaccinations, appropriate referrals, and supervised consumption services.

Resources Quality Statements Advisory Committee About

Health Quality Ontario thanks the following individuals for their generous, voluntary contributions of time and expertise to help create this quality standard:

Mae Katt (co-chair)
Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner

Sheryl Spithoff (co-chair)
Family Physician and Addiction Medicine Physician
Women’s College Hospital

Debbie Bang
Manager
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

Rob Boyd
Oasis Program Director
Sandy Hill Community Health Centre

Sharon Cirone
Physician
Privileges at St. Joseph’s Health Centre and Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre

Kim Corace
Director
Clinical Programming and Research Substance Use and Concurrent Disorders Program
The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre

Mike Franklyn
Family Physician
Private Practice

Deborah Gatenby
Chief Executive Officer
Hope Place Centres

Kristel Gutherie
Health Promotion Specialist
Toronto Public Health

Meldon Kahan
Medical Director
Substance Use Services, Women’s College Hospital

Lori Kiefer
Senior Medical Consultant
Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services

Michelle Klaiman
Emergency Physician and Addiction Medicine Consultant
St. Michael’s Hospital

Sharon Koivu
Physician Consultant, Palliative Care
London Health Sciences Centre

Betty-Lou Kristy
Peer Support Substance Use System Lead
Halton TEACH (Teach, Empower, Advocate Community Health)

Wiplove Lamba
Addiction Psychiatrist
St. Michael’s Hospital

Bernard Le Foll
Medical Head, Addiction Medicine Service and Medical Withdrawal Service
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Pamela Leece
Public Health Physician
Public Health Ontario

Donna May
Founder
MumsDU

Kristine Quaid
Peer Supporter
St. Joseph’s Care Group

Beth Sproule
Clinician Scientist, Pharmacy
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto

Sue Tobin
Nurse Practitioner, Lead and Clinical Administrator
Ingersoll Nurse Practitioner–Led Clinic

Stephanie Venneri
Program Manager
Breakaway Addiction Services

Evidence to Improve Care

Opioid Use Disorder (Opioid Addiction)

Care for People 16 Years of Age and Older

Quality Statements in Brief

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