Dear Eduardo,
Thank you for noting that specialist physicians (psychiatrists, addiction specialists, emergency medicine specialists) are often adequately informed on the management of opioid use disorders, whereas the reverse is true for most primary health workers.
This is a reminder that the vast majority of situations will not initially receive the attention of specialist physicians, and will typically be the responsibility of lay caregivers, community health workers and other primary care workers. So their capacity to deliver basic evidence-informed care is crucial.
I invite others to describe the situation regarding quality of primary care in their country.
An additional factor is the knowledge of the general public, family and friends to address concerns about opioid use, including overdose, and of course those who use opioid drugs.
To what extent does poor initial care (by family, friends, primary health workers) contribute to harms from opioid drugs and avoidable deaths from overdose?
What is the role of health education and training to reduce harms from opioid drugs?
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org