The substance use intervention team: A hospital-based intervention and outpatient clinic to improve care for patients with substance use disorders.

Purpose: In response to the opioid crisis, public health advocates urge hospitals to perform substance use disorder (SUD) screening, brief intervention, discharge planning with referral to treatment, and naloxone education. Universal screening makes specialized treatment available to all patients and decreases stigma around SUDs, allowing patients and providers to address SUDs during their hospitalization. Additionally, hospital and emergency department-initiated medications to treat SUD improve patient engagement with treatment and decrease opioid use, and use of medications for opioid use disorder after nonfatal overdoses decreases mortality.