Patient and Staff Perspectives on an In-Hospital Substance Use Policy

Taylor Baisley, MPH • Research Data Analyst • Division of Hospital Medicine • UCSF School of Medicine
 
Marlene Martin, MD • Professor of Clinical Medicine • Division of Hospital Medicine • UCSF School of Medicine

To accommodate folks that are attending the CPDD Annual Meeting in mid-June, this month's DURG seminar will be held on the following Wednesday, June 25th.  The wait will be worth it,  as we welcome Taylor Baisey and Marlene Martin to present their groundbreaking work to systematically address a challenge that people who use drugs frequently encounter in acute hospital settings.

Although in-hospital substance use (IHSU) is common among hospitalized persons who use drugs, evidence-based guidance informed by patient and staff perspectives is limited.  Without guidance, responses to IHSU may be subjective, inconsistent, and stigmatizing.  In 2021, San Francisco General revised its policy to be less punitive and more patient centered.  The updated policy continues to prohibit IHSU, but if patients have substances or supplies, they can dispose of them or store them with their locked belongings until discharge.  The revised policy also encourages staff to have open discussions about IHSU, offer treatment for withdrawal and cravings, and avoid calling security unless there are immediate safety threats.  Taylor and Marlene will present early findings from a qualitative study of patient and hospital staff perspectives on the revised IHSU policy and discuss their recommendations for policy and implementation improvements.

Taylor Baisey, MPH, is a Research Data Analyst at UCSF who aims to contribute evidence to the substance use literature to inform equitable, systemic changes at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) and beyond.  They support the SFGH Addiction Care Team's (ACT) evaluations of addiction medicine programs, policies, and outcomes, conducting qualitative and quantitative data analysis.  Taylor values highlighting patient experiences along their substance use journey to identify ways hospitals can better support patients with substance use disorders and the staff that care for them.
 
Marlene Martin, MD, is Professor of Clinical Medicine at UCSF, a hospitalist at San Francisco General, and Founding Director of the ACT. Marlene's interests lie in systems improvement and innovation with a focus on community partnerships, Latine health, and substance use disorders.  As Director of Addiction Initiatives for the Latinx Center of Excellence, she co-leads the Program for Education on Drugs and Alcohol for Latine (PEDAL), which trains promotores (community health workers).  Through ACT, she collaborates with community and hospital partners to reduce stigma through campus substance use policies, harm reduction, healthcare worker education, and Every ACT Matters, a hospital-wide anti-stigma campaign.  Marlene is committed to transforming systems of care to improve health outcomes for marginalized communities and ensuring that addiction care is compassionate, accessible, and equitable.

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The UCSF Drug Use Research Group (DURG) is a city-wide seminar attended by faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and other Bay Area investigators centering on persons who use drugs.  Started in 2005 after a friendly debate between an epidemiologist and anthropologist on the merits of quantitative versus qualitative research methods, the DURG monthly seminars provide a community platform for new and established investigators to present their work, explore research questions and methods, and to prepare for grant applications and the dissemination of findings in a supportive environment.  The seminar has been successful in cultivating new collaborations and mentorship and in sustaining an interdisciplinary and interprofessional dialogue between those engaged in basic sciences, epidemiology, clinical, and public health research.  

We have returned to in-person meetings.  Our meetings are not recorded.  Please contact us if you’d like to present your work or research ideas for friendly consultation and peer review.