Changes in Urine Drug Screen Sensitivity in Adolescent Opioid Presentations to the Emergency Department.

Introduction: Adolescent overdoses have been rising over the past decade. Emergency department (ED) visits for both acute overdoses and for adolescents in opioid withdrawal have risen post-COVID. Urine drug screens have poor utility in the ED but are routinely obtained for medical clearance and in the management of patients with substance use disorder.

Analysis of rising cases of adolescent opioid use presentations to the emergency department and their management.

Objective: We sought to answer the question of how adolescents (ages 12-17 years old) with opioid-related presentations are currently managed in the ED. The two main outcomes were the proportion of visits where naloxone and buprenorphine were both used and prescribed, and the rate of revisits to the emergency department in the six months following ED presentation.

Methods: This was a multi-center retrospective cross-sectional study.

Implementation of a skills-based virtual communication curriculum for medical students interested in surgery.

Background: Communication skills are essential to providing patient-centered care. The need for standardized communication skills training is at the forefront of medical school and residency education. We aimed to design and implement a curriculum teaching virtual communications skills to medical students.