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

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.

Background

Individuals, families, and communities affected by opioid use disorder face high rates of concurrent mental illness. Management of opioid use disorder should always include a mental health assessment and, if appropriate, treatment and referral for concurrent mental health disorders (see also Quality Statements 2 and 3).

What This Quality Statement Means

For People With Opioid Use Disorder

If you have opioid use disorder and a mental health disorder, like depression or anxiety, your care provider should offer or arrange for treatment of both your opioid use disorder and your mental health disorder at the same time.

For Care Providers

If the person you are treating for opioid use disorder also has a mental health disorder, you should facilitate concurrent treatment for their mental health disorder.

For Health Services

Ensure systems, processes, and policies are in place to allow people receiving treatment for opioid use disorder to receive concurrent treatment for mental health disorders.

Quality Indicators

Process Indicator

Percentage of people with opioid use disorder and a mental health disorder who receive concurrent treatment for their mental health disorder

Denominator: total number of people with opioid use disorder and a mental health disorder
Numerator: number of people in the denominator who receive concurrent treatment for their mental health disorder
Data source: local data collection

Definitions Used Within This Quality Statement

Mental health disorder

Examples of common mental health disorders include major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Treatment for mental health disorders

Detailed guidance on effective treatments for mental health disorders is available in other guidance sources, including Health Quality Ontario’s Major Depression quality standard.

Evidence to Improve Care